Jamaica and US sign military Status of Forces Agreement

Jamaica and the United States have signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) to strengthen military and security cooperation. The agreement establishes a framework for the temporary deployment of United States military personnel in Jamaica for mutually agreed activities, such as joint operations, military training, professional exchanges, and disaster response.

The pact aims to deepen collaboration in combating organized crime, drug trafficking, and narco-terrorism involving the movement of guns, drugs, and people through the Caribbean. This follows a bilateral meeting on August 12 between U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Dr. Horace Chang, during the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition Forum in Panama.

With this agreement, Jamaica joins more than 120 countries that maintain similar SOFA arrangements with the United States. The governments stated the deal provides a “modern and predictable framework” for continued security partnership and regional defense cooperation.