Jamaica's army chief has urged graduates of the Caribbean Junior Command and Staff Course to promote regional integration to combat "threats to our survival".

In an address at the graduation ceremony recently, Major General Stewart Saunders, chief of defence staff of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), implored the students to use the knowledge gained from the course to stem the rising tide of drug and gun trafficking, transnational crimes and health scourges such as HIV/AIDS and malaria. "You have realised that no one individual or country has all the answers but there is immense value in working together in partnerships," said Saunders.

More than 30 students drawn from across the Caribbean and Canada graduated.

Horace Thomas, an acting assistant superintendent in the Jamaica Fire Brigade, echoed the sentiments of almost all the participants that it was a great experience to have interacted with members from the different countries.

"The inter-agency relations helped to break down communication barriers. From an operational standpoint, we will be able to communicate effectively as we have learnt each others jargon," he said.

Cultural diversity

First Lieutenant Manuel Rodriguez, an officer in the Dominican Republic Armed Forces, said cultural diversity had taught the graduates very important lessons, one of which was survivability. A Spanish speaker, Rodriguez had to complete his course in English.

Then there were those international participants who just wanted to experience the beauty of Jamaica and its people. Captain T. Semeniuk, of the Canadian Forces, could have done a similar command and staff course in his homeland but opted to come to Jamaica for the Caribbean flavour.

The Caribbean Junior Command and Staff Course prepares junior officers to perform junior or intermediate staff functions at the unit and force headquarters levels. It is structured to familiarise candidates with problem-solving and decision-making techniques.

The five-month course was conducted for the first time at the newly built school at the Moneague training camp in St Ann.The Caribbean Junior Command and Staff Course started in January with participants from Canada, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, St Kitts and Nevis and Trinidad and Tobago. The local students represented a wide cross section of our security forces, including the JDF, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, the Department of Correctional Services and the Jamaica Fire Brigade.