Ambassador Rocky R MEADE CD, JP, PhD

Appointed to the board of The Jamaica National Group in June 2022,  Ambassador Rocky Meade retired earlier that year as Jamaica’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), in the rank of Lieutenant General, after 38 years of service.

In February 2023, he was appointed as Ambassador Plenipotentiary with responsibility for national strategic initiatives and projects across Ministries, Departments and Agencies within Government with a view to ensuring their timely and effective implementation.

During his military service, before being appointed CDS, he conceptualized and/or implemented a number of projects, including the Flight Safety Programme, the Jamaican Military Museum, the JDF Language Lab, the JDF Farm, the JDF Technical Training Institute AND the Caribbean Grand Strategy Seminars. AS CDS, he enhanced the JDF’s personnel, resources and infrastructure, from a Brigade to a Division, launched Caribbean Military Academy, the Jamaica National Service Corps and the Caribbean Journal of Strategic and Security Studies.

Ambassador Meade’s leadership has extended nationally and internationally to include being Chair of a number of boards and committees both locally and internationally, including co-chair of the Constitutional Reform Committee.

He holds BA and MA Degrees from The University of the West Indies, a Masters of Military Arts and Science from the US Army Command and General Staff College, a PhD from the University of Amsterdam and is an alumnus of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, Germany.

He supervises PhD students and delivers invited lectures and consultations on strategic studies, national security, intelligence and linguistics internationally. He is a Commander of the Order of Distinction and recipient of the Medal of Honour for Meritorious Service, the Military Commendation Medal, the Queen’s Platinum and Diamond Jubilee Medals, and he is a Justice of the Peace.