Revised Rules Of Engagement will make JDF More Effective – Colonel Meade

Colonel General Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), Colonel Rocky Meade has emphasised that acquisition of the revised Rules of Engagement (RoE) training DVD will make members more effective in their operations.
Speaking with JIS News, Colonel Meade said that the training DVD, which was sponsored by the British government, is an audio visual aid that is more technologically advanced and allows for easy transmission of the information.
“First world armies are usually ahead in terms of technological advancement, and so whenever we observe that they use a particular methodology to train that looks more cost effective and efficient, we try to partner with them to bring those technologies here,” said Colonel Meade.
“What you have in this case is that the British is using DVDs and other multimedia guides in their training and we took a look at our own training manual and saw that it could be more effective,” he added.
He said that previously, the JDF would communicate the information by conducting lectures, which is disadvantageous to some soldiers, who learn more visually.
Colonel Meade, who is also the JDF spokesman, pointed out that the army has always taught rules of engagement and always sought means and ways to carry out its duty with minimum force, that would help to protect and save lives.
“The rules of engagement are actually not new. We have always had rules of engagement; initially they were called the Chief of Defence Staff instructions for opening fire. What we have done, in collaboration with the British government, is to revise the RoEs to make them more precise and to repackage them,” he pointed out.
Colonel Meade explained that the training DVD cites the exact circumstances under which members of the JDF may open fire, and is expected to significantly improve their understanding of the rules within which they must operate.
According to the Colonel, one of the rules of engagement states that firearms must be used only as a last resort. He said that the training DVD gives examples of how to operate under different circumstances, which will help save and protect the lives of citizens.
“In principle, the aim is to only use the minimum force necessary to protect human life, and that is whether it be your life, the life of your fellow soldiers or persons that we are engaged to protect. We have given some scenarios in the instruction to say when it is appropriate to open fire,” he noted.
He told JIS News that all members of the JDF, the units and sub-units will be presented with what is called an Aide Memoir. This Aide Memoir is an abridged version of the RoE Policy Document. It is small, handy and practical enough for soldiers to carry at all times and they are expected to be conversant with its requirements.
In addition to the DVD, the British, American and Canadian governments have, in the past year, donated training equipment and resources to help the JDF in its mission. This included the installation of state-of-the-art Firearm Training Simulators (FATs) at Up-Park Camp, in Kingston, and at the Moneague Training Camp, in St. Ann.
The simulators provide soldiers with computer generated real life situations in which they are required to make rules of engagement decisions in a simulated environment.
The rules of engagement DVD represents a final installment in a