KINGSTON – March 16, 2017.

Major General Rocky Meade, with the approval of The Defence Board, has promoted Colonel David Cummings to the rank of Brigadier in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). He has also been appointed to fill the position of Deputy Chief of Defence Staff.

Brigadier Cummings has over 29 years of service with the JDF. He is a graduate of several prestigious military institutions around the world, including the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (UK) where he was a multiple award winner including Best Overseas Student, the UK Royal Military College of Science where he won the Dean's Prize, the UK Defence Academy, the School of Infantry Warminster (UK), and the United States Command and General Staff College. As Deputy Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Cummings will coordinate all the staff branches with particular focus  on the strategic and long term planning and development of the Force and related policies.

In his most recent appointment as Adjutant Quartermaster for the JDF, Brigadier Cummings had overall responsibility for all Financial, Personnel, Logistics and Administrative matters relating to the JDF. He had previously served as the Staff Officer with responsibility for Finance and Logistics, Commanding Officer for 1 Engineer Regiment (JDF), and Staff Officer with responsibility for JDF Strategy, Plans, Policy and Transformation. He also served for more than ten years at the JDF Air Wing as Second-in-Command, and Officer Commanding 1 Field Workshop (Aircraft Maintenance), as well as in the Support and Services Battalion, and the Second Battalion The Jamaica Regiment (2JR). Brigadier Cummings is an Aeronautical Engineer (Cranfield, UK), and a winner of a prestigious British Government Chevening Scholarship in 2003. He holds two Masters Degrees in Defence Administration (UK), and in Military Arts and Science (US). He is an officer of the Order of Distinction, a Justice of the Peace and holds the Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service with first bar