{"id":108685,"date":"2020-03-21T17:45:07","date_gmt":"2020-03-21T21:45:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=108685"},"modified":"2020-03-21T17:45:07","modified_gmt":"2020-03-21T21:45:07","slug":"colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>

Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin, on Friday took over Command of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force during a brief Change of Command Ceremony at Government House.<\/span><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

In accepting the Command from Sir Trevor Thomas, former Chief of Defence Staff, Colonel Benjamin said that the ABDF is a force in transition and he is ready to serve.\u00a0 \u201cWe are a force in transition, transforming to ensure that we are able to meet and treat with the security and defence challenges of our current and future operating environment.\u00a0 In order to do this, we must be both critical and creative in our thinking, with a focus on capabilities that are not only useful to us but that lend to securing our nation and ensuring our nation\u2019s continued development and success<\/em>,\u201d Colonel Benjamin stated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chief of Defence Staff, Colonel Telbert L. Benjamin enlisted in the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force in 1995 and has held numerous appointments to include\u00a0Platoon Commander 1997 to 2002, Tactical Advisor to the Commissioner of Police for CWC 2007 from 2006 to 2007, Company Commander from 2007 to 2009, Staff Officer Operations and Training in the Force HQ from 2009 to 2019, and Commanding Officer 1st<\/sup>Battalion Antigua Barbuda Regiment from 2019 to 2020.<\/span><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>
\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

In addition to the appointments mentioned, he was the liaison officer to the Conference of the Armies of the Americas (CAA) from 2010 to 2017 and Liaison Officer to the Conference of Defence Ministers of the Americas from 2013 to 2017.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

Colonel Benjamin has also been a member of the directing staff of the Regional Security System Staff and Command course, eventually rising to the post of Academic Director.<\/span><\/p>\n

Commander in Chief of the ABDF, Governor General Sir Rodney Williams, who spoke at the Ceremony, congratulated Colonel Benjamin on his promotion to commander of the ABDF and issued a charge for him to keep a sharp focus on the ultimate purpose of the ABDF to maintain peace at the borders of Antigua and Barbuda.<\/span><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cAs the incoming Commander I encourage you to lead by example with dignity and distinction. Lead others efficiently and effectively through continuous, deliberate, progressive and sequential molding of your soldiers into even more confident, skilled and qualified officers who can take decisive actions. Continue to focus on training personnel and create open channels for regular interaction with soldiers so that you can better understand the challenges they face and counsel them on how to advance their careers. Get to know the strengths, capabilities and weaknesses of your subordinates. Such knowledge will enable you to assist them and their families because the latter are integral in a soldier\u2019s success and morale<\/em>,\u201d said Sir Rodney.<\/span><\/p>\n

Prime Minister the Hon. Gaston Browne who also spoke at the Change of Command ceremony said that Colonel Benjamin was selected based on his years of experience and qualifications, outlining that he is the right fit for the job.<\/span><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

\u201cOur new Chief of Defence Staff was selected based on merit. Someone who has performed consistently over the years. Someone who would have utilized his years in the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force to develop his skills and someone who is immensely committed to service. And I have no doubt that the Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force will be in good hands. Therefore, I use this opportunity to congratulate Colonel Telbert Benjamin for his appointment as the new Chief of Defence Staff of Antigua and Barbuda<\/em>,\u201d Prime Minister Browne pointed out.<\/span><\/p>

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

The country\u2019s leader also outlined that his government expect great things from Colonel Benjamin as he assumes the position of CDF of the Force.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cColonel Benjamin, this is a position of great trust. Guarding our borders and standing ready to meet the demands of any emergency are two of the major missions of the Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force and we are quite sure that you have the capacity to serve with the highest level of service to the people of Antigua and Barbuda.\u00a0It is the expectation of this administration that the high level of competence, which has been displayed during your history, will continue unabated. And as they say, finish strong, so this is your opportunity to continue to perform, and just like your predecessor, Colonel Thomas, to finish strong<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Outgoing Chief of Defence Staff Colonel Sir Trevor Thomas also offered his congratulations to Colonel Benjamin on assuming leadership of the Force.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI urge all of the Officers, men and women and civilian Staff in the ABDF to give your full support to Colonel Telbert Benjamin\u2019s Command and continue to strive to make the ABDF a bastion of discipline within Antigua and Barbuda.\u00a0\u00a0 Good luck to you Colonel Benjamin, your Officers, your men and women and your Civilian Staff.\u00a0 The fight is ahead \u2013 but none too great for you and your team to overcome,\u201d <\/span><\/em>he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Defence Force was established in 1897 and consisted of 1 company of Infantry and 1 company of mounted cavalry.\u00a0 Most males between the ages of 18 and 45 who earned more than 50 GBP annually were required to serve.<\/span><\/p>\n

In 1914, the Force was put on active service due to the commencement of the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0World War.\u00a0 During the period of the 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0World War, the Antigua Defence Force became part of the Leeward Islands Battalion and towards the end of 1943, ADF members were deployed to Europe as part of the 1st<\/sup>\u00a0Battalion, The Caribbean Regiment and returned in 1946.\u00a0 The Force was disbanded in 1952 as it had no Headquarters and was reactivated in 1956 under the Command of Captain E.M. Blackman.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Colonel Sir Trevor Thomas who joined the Force 43 years ago, served as Chief of Defence Staff for 28 years. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin, on Friday took over Command of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force during a brief Change of Command Ceremony at Government House. In accepting the Command from Sir Trevor Thomas, former Chief of Defence Staff, Colonel Benjamin said that the ABDF is a force in transition and he is ready […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":108686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nColonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force - Antigua News Room<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin, on Friday took over Command of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force during a brief Change of Command Ceremony at Government House. In accepting the Command from Sir Trevor Thomas, former Chief of Defence Staff, Colonel Benjamin said that the ABDF is a force in transition and he is ready […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Antigua News Room\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"904\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@AntiguaNewsRoom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Editor\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Editor\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\"},\"headline\":\"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/\"},\"wordCount\":939,\"commentCount\":6,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/\",\"name\":\"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force - Antigua News Room\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg\",\"width\":760,\"height\":904},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"name\":\"Antigua News Room\",\"description\":\"News As It Happens\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Antigua Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg\",\"width\":1260,\"height\":1260,\"caption\":\"Antigua Newsroom\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5\",\"name\":\"Editor\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96\",\"caption\":\"Editor\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force - Antigua News Room","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force","og_description":"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin, on Friday took over Command of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force during a brief Change of Command Ceremony at Government House. In accepting the Command from Sir Trevor Thomas, former Chief of Defence Staff, Colonel Benjamin said that the ABDF is a force in transition and he is ready […]","og_url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/","og_site_name":"Antigua News Room","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","article_published_time":"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00","og_image":[{"width":760,"height":904,"url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Editor","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_site":"@AntiguaNewsRoom","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Editor","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/"},"author":{"name":"Editor","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5"},"headline":"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force","datePublished":"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00","dateModified":"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/"},"wordCount":939,"commentCount":6,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/","name":"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force - Antigua News Room","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg","datePublished":"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00","dateModified":"2020-03-21T21:45:07+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:760\/h:904\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/01C4A377-92BC-40EA-8060-C02010B4A143.jpeg","width":760,"height":904},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/colonel-telbert-l-a-benjamin-is-new-chief-of-defence-staff-of-the-antigua-barbuda-defence-force\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Colonel Telbert L. A. Benjamin Is New Chief Of Defence Staff Of The Antigua & Barbuda Defence Force"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","name":"Antigua News Room","description":"News As It Happens","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#organization","name":"Antigua Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1080\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/IMG_1584.jpeg","width":1260,"height":1260,"caption":"Antigua Newsroom"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/antiguanewsroom","https:\/\/x.com\/AntiguaNewsRoom","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/antiguanewsroom\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/36cac05ef6398fe56ae3e6317f8535c5","name":"Editor","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/ad516503a11cd5ca435acc9bb6523536?s=96","caption":"Editor"},"url":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/author\/editor\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108685"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108685\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/108686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/anr-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}