US and Jamaica issue joint statement on status of forces agreement

The United States and Jamaica have signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), deepening a longstanding security partnership between the two countries. The accord follows discussions between United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Jamaica’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security Dr. Horace Chang during a bilateral meeting held on the margins of the Americas Counter Cartels Coalition Forum in Panama on August 12, 2026.

Status of Forces Agreements establish and formalize the terms under which members of one country’s armed forces may be temporarily present in another country for mutually agreed activities, including training exercises and joint operations. With this step, Jamaica joins more than 120 partner nations that maintain similar agreements with the United States.

The two countries cite decades of close security cooperation. Since the establishment of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), members of the United States Armed Forces and the JDF have carried out joint training exercises, professional exchanges, humanitarian and disaster response activities, and other forms of security cooperation.

Officials framed the SOFA as a clear signal to criminal organizations in the region, emphasizing a shared commitment by the United States Armed Forces and the JDF to deepen and expand their cooperation, including efforts to combat criminal organizations and narco-terrorists who traffic guns, drugs, and people.

The agreement provides a modern and predictable framework intended to further strengthen cooperation in areas of shared interest, including regional security, defense cooperation, and disaster response. Through the SOFA, both countries reaffirm their commitment to a strong security partnership that aims to advance peace and the mutual interests of the United States and Jamaica.