JDF Invites Public to Attend Opening Ceremony of Exercise Event Horizon on January 13

The public is invited to join the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) at the official opening ceremony of their Exercise Event Horizon 2025, on Monday, January 13, at 9:00 a.m.

A key feature of the opening ceremony will be a Sail and Fly Past of maritime and aerial assets at the Kingston Waterfront.

The ceremony, which is free to the public, will feature a display of military precision and skill, a naval gunfire salute, and other impressive activities.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on January 9, Executive Officer, Maritime Air and Cyber Command (MACC) and Officer Conducting Exercise (OCE), Commander Alvin Gayle, noted that the ceremony will take place on the recreational lawns of the Bank of Jamaica.

“It will be a traditional opening ceremony, but the prominent feature of that exercise is where the Maritime Air and Cyber Command will give a general salute to the Chief of Defence Staff by way of a sail and fly past, accompanied by naval gunfire,” Commander Gayle said.

The public will be able to view this activity from in and around the vicinity of the Kingston Waterfront and towards the eastern side of the Bank of Jamaica. For those unable to attend, the event will be livestreamed online and available for viewing on the JDF and JIS social media platforms.

“We’ll have a number of ships sailing in formation. What I will indicate is that we’ve invited another ship from one of our partners. We’ll also have a number of our helicopters engaged doing a series of passes over ships. You will hear the ceremonial explosives going, so it should be a good sight for the nation to see up close,” Commander Gayle said.

For his part, Operations Officer at MACC and Exercise Director, Captain Cleon Thompson, encouraged persons to attend the opening ceremony.

“As a pilot, I know it will be very exciting to see aircraft flying in precision formation and to see the vessels as well do the same. It is not like any other thing that you will see, because it’s very uncommon and it requires a lot of skill. It’s an excellent chance to witness the other dimensions of the JDF,” he said.

Exercise Event Horizon 2025 extends beyond Jamaica’s borders, with activities planned offshore in Jamaica, the Cayman Islands and Haiti.

All safety precautions are in place to ensure a secure event. Specific areas affected by the gunfire salute will be cordoned off, and military police and local authorities will guide attendees to designated safe zones.

The JDF invites the public to witness this exciting display of military coordination and precision, which marks the beginning of a significant multinational, multiagency and multidomain exercise.