D.C. National Guard Welcomes Jamaica Defence Force to Washington

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Maj. Gen. Antony B. Anderson, Jamaica Defence Force Chief of Defence, meets with Gen. Craig. R. McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau, at the Pentagon during a senior official visit Aug. 23.

WASHINGTON, DC (08/28/2012)(readMedia)-- The Jamaica Defence Force Chief of Defence Staff and two members of his staff conducted a senior official visit to U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army and District of Columbia National Guard leadership to discuss objectives for Jamaica as part of the National Guard State Partnership Program.

Maj. Gen. Antony B. Anderson, Jamaica Defence Force Chief of Defense Staff, was the distinguished visitor for the visit, which included meetings with senior officials and tours of the Pentagon and D.C. National Guard training facilities Aug. 21-24

"Senior official visits are a way to strengthen professional bonds between the D.C. National Guard and the Jamaica Defence Force." said Maj. Gen. Errol R. Schwartz, Commanding General of the D.C. National Guard. "This is our time to discuss continued mutual support through the State Partnership Program and plan what kind of subject matter expert exchanges between our forces would be mutually beneficial."

The visit began with a trip to the Jamaican Embassy, followed by a capabilities briefing and tour of the D.C. National Guard Armory. The party then traveled to Joint Base Andrews and Davison Army Airfield for an overview of D.C. National Guard aviation assets. The J.D.F. and D.C.N.G aviation personnel discussed future potential subject matter expert exchanges for the weather detachment and aviation maintenance.

While in D.C., Maj. Gen. Anderson and his party met with Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Craig R. McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau. He also met with officials at the Center for Hemispheric Studies and Inter-American Defense Board.

In a continuation of celebrations, The J.D.F. was treated to a visit to Fort Meyer to view the 2012 Military District of Washington Twilight Tattoo.

The J.D.F.'s visit comes after having closed many ceremonial celebrations commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the independence of the Jamaica from the British Commonwealth and the 50th Anniversary of the Jamaica Defence Force. During the celebrations, the District of Columbia National Guard made a senior official visit to Jamaica.

A highlight of the 50th Anniversary celebration was a military tattoo. For the first time in nearly 30 years, The J.D.F. hosted a Military Tattoo as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations. The Jamaica Military Tattoo 2012 theme was "Precision, Pomp and Pageantry: The First Five Decades" and ran from 28 June to 01 July 2012.

The 257th Army Band, a D.C. National Guard Unit, participated in the tattoo.

"We had so many wonderful opportunities to interact with civilians as well as the J.D.F." said Sgt. 1st Class Cynthia Marr, 257th Army Band acting 1st Sgt. for the mission. "We performed the pre-show and intermission music for the 50th anniversary tattoo. If we weren't there, the stage would have been empty. Of all the military bands there, including the bands from Canada and England, we were the only ones from the United States. We had a great time."

The National Guard State Partnership Program provides unique partnership capacity-building capabilities to combatant commanders and U.S. ambassadors through partnerships between U.S. states, territories and the District of Columbia and foreign countries. The 20-year-old program is a key U.S. security cooperation tool, facilitating cooperation across all aspects of international civil-military affairs and encouraging people-to-people ties in 65 countries.

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Maj. Gen. Antony B. Anderson, Jamaica Defence Force Chief of Defence, meets with Gen. Craig. R. McKinley, Chief, National Guard Bureau, at the Pentagon during a senior official visit Aug. 23. Anderson was visiting Washington as part of the National Guard State Partnership Program, in which the Jamaica Defence Force is partnered with the District of Columbia National Guard. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Tech. Sgt. Christina Riffle/Released)