|
FRENCH COMMANDO 2007
Lance Corporal Juliet Clarke,
Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force (Civil Military Affairs)
One by one the French contingent deplaned at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, for the commencement of Exercise French Commando which is being held over the period 01 - 12 October 2007 in Jamaica and Guadeloupe.
Members of the Jamaica Defence Force and the
French contingent posed in front of the C-130 military aircraft which transported the French contingent to Jamaica, and flew the JDF soldiers to Guadeloupe.
Exercise French Commando is a platoon-sized exchange exercise between the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the French armed forces in the French Antilles (Guadeloupe). It is held twice yearly, in the months of July and October, and involves approximately 26 personnel of various ranks from each Force.
Packed with their training equipment the JDF soldiers lined up for their luggage to be checked and sorted by the Jamaica Customs officials before being loaded onto the French military aircraft for their departure.
Captain O’Neil Blair, Liaison Officer, of the Jamaica Defence Force
welcomed Captain Emmanuel Senoussis of the French contingent to Jamaica.
Clad in a distinctly different camouflage uniform, the French troops drawn from the Combat Support Platoon in Guadeloupe, were lined up similarly to the Jamaicans at the airport as they awaited their transportation to inlands of Jamaica.
While in Jamaica, the French will be based at Moneague Training Camp in the parish of St Ann. However, their training will take them to other locations across Jamaica such as the Twickenham Park Range in St Catherine and to the wider environs of St Ann.
The twelve-day exercise is very compact and is designed for the French soldiers to be exposed as much as possible to the JDF’s way of operation and training. The training will see them engaged in weapons training, combat missions, physical test, river crossing, beach landing and sports.
The Jamaica Defence Force contingent boarded the C-130
military aircraft at the Norman Manley International Airport,
Kingston, for Guadeloupe.
The French troops will also have the opportunity for more recreational activities, which will involve planned visits to the museum of reggae superstar Robert ‘Bob’ Marley in St Ann and the famous Dunn’s River Falls also in St Ann.
The Jamaican troops will be based at the Commando Centre (Centre d’ Aguerissement des Antilles CAA) in Guadeloupe. The aim of the overseas leg of the exchange is to expose the JDF soldiers to a different type of training environment and familiarize them with the French’s forces modus of operations.
The exchange also serves to strengthen the relationship between the JDF and the French Armed Force. |
