Member of the Ocho Rios Chamber of Commerce Past President Advisory Committee Joe Issa has welcomed new Chief of Defence Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) Brigadier Rocky Meade to his command post, as he replaces Major General Antony Anderson, under whom he served for five years of his 32-year service to the military.“I welcome Brigadier Meade to the helm of the JDF and wish him well in protecting citizens and the country from internal and external threats. I believe he is qualified for the job after serving as deputy for five years.
“I am happy for him and look forward to working with him in all my capacities, including as chairman of the advisory board of PICA (Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency), which partners with the JDF in securing the country’s borders,” says Issa.
An executive agency since June 2007, PICA partners with the JDF to secure Jamaica’s borders, in accepting and processing passport applications and managing the country’s immigration processes, among others. It evolved from the former Immigration, Citizenship and Passport Services Division of the Ministry of National Security.
By his own admission, Brigadier Mead’s journey to the top started when he joined the Jamaica Combined Cadet Force Unit at Wolmer’s on the advice of his mother. This is said to have led him to become an airplane pilot while still at school there in the late 1970s.
The Jamaica Observer reported Mead as saying at the recent Change of Command Parade at Up Park Camp, the Jamaica Defence Force headquarters in Kingston, “The journey of a thousand miles began with that one step…and I saw the JDF as the next logical step to pursue my love for the military.
Meade is said to have accepted his mandate with humility, strength, and deep commitment to the nation, stating he is clear that his primary roles are to assist in securing Jamaicans and defending their interests.
He encouraged Jamaicans to appreciate that the most significant challenges “are multifaceted and impacted by [the] underlying, deep-rooted problem of how we view and respond to our fellow men.
“The security solution is multi-sectoral and, as the prime minister has said on a number of occasions, every Jamaican can play a part. There is no quick fix,” Meade told the Observer.
Stating that it is his goal to help the police bring wrongdoers to face the justice system, Meade warns, “Let us be clear, if my soldiers are attacked to the point where their lives are threatened, they will defend themselves effectively.”
Brigadier Meade who, like Issa, is a JP, recipient of a national award and has a passion for education, holds a BA (Hons) and MA degrees from the University of the West Indies, a Master of Military Arts and Science (MMAS) degree from the US Army War College, Fort Leavenworth and a PhD in Linguistics from the University of Amsterdam.
He lectures credit courses at the University of the West Indies and has delivered invited lectures and consultations on security, intelligence, strategic planning and linguistics topics to audiences locally and internationally including Africa, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and several Caribbean countries, the JDF’s website said.