KINGSTON, Jamaica—Jamaica and the United States have signed a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), aimed at strengthening military and security cooperation between the two countries.

According to a joint media release issued by the governments on Thursday, the agreement establishes the terms under which members of the United States Armed Forces may be temporarily present in Jamaica for mutually agreed activities, including training exercises and joint operations.

The agreement builds on decades of security cooperation between the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) and the United States Armed Forces, including joint training exercises, professional exchanges, humanitarian and disaster-response activities and other forms of security cooperation.