| Military branches | Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Jamaica Regiment (Ground Forces), Maritime-Air-Cyber Command (includes Coast Guard, Air Wing, Military Intelligence Unit, Special Activities Regiment, and Military Cyber Corps), Support Brigade (logistics, engineers, health service, and military police); Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) (2021) note - both the JDF and JCF are under the Ministry of National Security |
| Military service age and obligation | no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent; 18-28 for the reserves); since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 1-year of service, soldiers can continue on with JDF or seek other opportunities with law enforcement (2020) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.6% of GDP (2019) 1.3% of GDP (2018) 1% of GDP (2017) 0.9% of GDP (2016) 0.9% of GDP (2015) |
| Military and security service personnel strengths | information varies; approximately 4,000 total active personnel (2021) |
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the Jamaica Defense Force is lightly armed with a limited inventory featuring mostly older equipment imported from a variety of foreign suppliers, including the UK and US; since 2010, Jamaica has received limited quantities of military equipment from Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, and the US (2020) |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
