U.S. announces stepped-up security aid to Jamaica, including restart of Jolt Fusion Center

United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced a package of security support for Jamaica during a joint press conference in Kingston, saying the United States will help strengthen Jamaica's capacity to confront transnational organized crime.

The announcement included the restart and further strengthening of the Jolt Fusion Center, new synthetic-detection equipment for Jamaica’s forensic laboratories, software intelligence tools for law enforcement, night-vision equipment and a planned counter–gang recruitment program. Rubio said those measures are aimed at "helping Jamaica build its own capacity." "What we're talking about here when we talk about American assistance is America helping Jamaica build its own capacity," Rubio said.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness emphasized the shared priority of combating transnational crime and praised the U.S. commitment. Holness said the discussions focused on "strengthening enhancing cooperation in combating transnational crime, ensuring the collective safety of our citizens and mutually secured borders." He credited U.S. support for helping Jamaica bolster marine domain awareness and intelligence-surveillance capabilities.

The officials framed the assistance as capacity-building rather than a substitute for Jamaican law enforcement. Rubio said the United States will work to stop the flow of weapons fueling violence while increasing Jamaican capabilities, calling security a "baseline for everything." "We wanna commit to doing more to stopping that flow at the same time as we do more to commit to increasing your capacity," he said.

Officials gave no detailed timeline, procurement list, or dollar amounts for the announced equipment and programs in the press conference. The announcements were verbal commitments during the visit and were not presented as formal treaty or contract approvals.

Speakers and offices indicated they expect follow-up coordination between U.S. agencies and Jamaican counterparts to finalize delivery, oversight and training for the new capabilities. Rubio said additional cooperative efforts would be developed after the visit and follow-up discussions between teams.

Ending: Officials said more specifics on timing, procurement and implementation will be worked out by U.S. and Jamaican teams after the visit; the press conference did not include formal written agreements or vote-style approvals.