2024 WPS Symposium: Keynote Rear Adm. Antonette Wemyss Gorman, Jamaica Defence Force

KEYNOTE FIRESIDE CHAT: ADVANCING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP IN MARITIME COMPETENCIES: POLICIES AND PRACTICES
Rear Admiral (RAdm) Antonette Wemyss-Gorman assumed command of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) on 22 January 2022 when she was appointed the Chief of Defence Staff. As the Force Executive Officer, she provided oversight of the Force transformation process, and led the development of the Force Strategic Defence Review 2021 - 2030. She directed the development of Force policies that support inclusion and opportunities for service women. Those include the Force Gender Optimization Policy, the Maternity Policy and the Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy. RAdm Wemyss-Gorman completed Initial Officer Training at Britannia Royal Naval College, United Kingdom and is an alumni of the United States Naval War College. She also holds a Master’s Degree with distinction in National Security and Strategic Studies from the University of the West Indies. She is currently the Vice Chancellor of the Caribbean Military Academy which has been established in the JDF to deliver military professional education in the Region.
Significant command appointments include Commanding Office of His Majesty’s Jamaica (HMJ) Ships, Commandant of the Caribbean Military Maritime Training Center, Commanding Officer of the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard, Brigade Commander of the Maritime Air and Cyber Command and Force Executive Officer.
Rear Adm Wemyss-Gorman believes “how you do anything is how you do everything.”
The U.S. Naval War College (NWC) hosted the 10th iteration of its Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Symposium onboard Naval Station Newport, May 2-3.
The symposium, themed “Advancing Gendered Security in a Complex World: Hard Power, Smart Power, Soft Power,” aimed to foster a shared understanding of the complex and dynamic global security environment through examination of women’s influence and experience as stakeholders and catalysts of change alongside men.
The views presented by the faculty or other guest speakers do not reflect official positions of the Naval War College, DON or DOD.