Exercising against extremism

Jordan hosts Eager Lion 2013 with a focus on unconventional military threats

UNIPATH STAFF

Jordanian Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, left, converses with U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Catalanotti during a multinational land and air assault on a ridge in al-Quwiera, Jordan, during Eager Lion 2013. AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Jordanian Prince Faisal bin Al Hussein, left, converses with U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Catalanotti during a multinational land and air assault on a ridge in al-Quwiera, Jordan, during Eager Lion 2013. AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The special operations troops huddle on the tarmac perched on a rocky ledge over the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center. The Iraqi commandos are dressed in black jumpsuits, the Emiratis in sand-colored uniforms, the Jordanians in camouflage.

The officers consult with the Black Hawk helicopter pilots whose aircraft idle in the background. How high must the men descend down slick ropes from the helicopter bays? Can the pilots ensure a 10-meter drop?
The lower the helicopter, the less exposure if you’re being fired upon.

But the Jordanian helicopter pilots need to ensure the safety of their aircraft as well. They assess the wind on this sunny June morning. It’s breezy – enough to bend the tops of the pine trees – but achievable. A 10-meter rope drop it will be.

With cheers of approval all around, black uniforms, sand-colored uniforms and camouflage uniforms dash for the open doors of the Black Hawks that have begun roaring to life.

A few minutes later, the Iraqi commandos – members of the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Force – take a break after running through several helicopter drops: onto tarmacs, onto rooftops. Their captain reflects on the multinational contingent with whom he’s been honing tactics, a group that includes a sprinkling of Americans. “It’s good to work with other countries,” he says.

One of his sergeants, who’s pulling off his helmet and mopping his brow, chimes in: “It’s not just good, it’s amazing.”

The Jordanian-led Eager Lion 2013 military exercises ran from June 9 to June 20, engaging nearly 8,000 troops in multinational missions stretching from the volcanic landscape of Jordan’s Eastern Desert to the bustling docks of the southern seaport of Aqaba.

For the 19 nations that supplied Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen, Eager Lion culminated in demonstrations of a land-and-air attack on enemy positions in mountainous desert terrain, a tightly choreographed special operations assault on a passenger jet and the rescue of a hijacked ferry in the Gulf of Aqaba. Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Yemen all sent participants, as did the United States, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Canada, the Czech Republic, Turkey and France.

“It goes without saying. The Jordanians have a great military organization,” said UAE Special Forces Col. Ahmed al-Ali, watching the grand finale of the exercise from a pavilion at the King Abdullah Center. “They did a wonderful job performing this.”

Multinational special operations forces scale the side of a Jordanian ferry and descend onto its deck from a helicopter in an Eager Lion 2013 simulation of the search and seizure of a vessel occupied by pirates.
Multinational special operations forces scale the side of a Jordanian ferry and descend onto its deck from a helicopter in an Eager Lion 2013 simulation of the search and seizure of a vessel occupied by pirates.

Unconventional warfare
But, as always, Eager Lion’s deeper significance lies with the growing military proficiency, organization and teamwork not captured by international television camera crews. One focus of the 2013 exercise was irregular warfare, operations that often entail quick assaults on unconventional enemies such as terrorists and  criminals. A prime example was the Lebanese, Yemeni, Iraqi and Jordanian commandos who rolled up to the airfield on a Jordanian base near Zarqa, some of the more than 600 special operations troops involved in Eager Lion.

Under the guiding eyes of seasoned trainers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan, the multinational force rehearses a raid on an airfield, a scenario that involves securing a foothold with ground forces springing from Black Hawk helicopters, V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and an MC-130 Hercules transport.

One officer dishes out instructions for his men: “Isolate the hostile forces. Anyone pops his head up, knock him out.”

The first wave is to disembark from the maneuverable Black Hawks and Ospreys. Once those troops secure the landing zone, it’s time for the Hercules, which has been circling overhead, to make its debut. As the big transport rolls to a stop, the crew lowers the cargo ramp, pops the restraining straps and unleashes the thalaba, or “foxes” in Arabic. They are speedy, desert-worthy vehicles equipped with large-caliber swivel machine guns. Some missions include capturing and detaining enemy combatants. Within minutes, the foxes scurry back aboard the Hercules for the ride home.

“This is the first time the Jordanians have ever done this,” said one of a small number of American combat trainers who helped troops practice infiltration and exfiltration techniques. “They’re real receptive.”

 Iraqi special operations forces disembark from a U.S. Air Force Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft during multinational training in Zarqa that included exercises with Jordanian, Lebanese and Emirati partners.
Iraqi special operations forces disembark from a U.S. Air Force Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft during multinational training in Zarqa that included exercises with Jordanian, Lebanese and Emirati partners.

Cooperation equals understanding
Brig. Gen. Manhal al-Qudah, a senior Jordanian Air Force officer, said the benefits of military exercises such as Eager Lion are not limited to exchanges of tactics and equipment, valuable as they are. Equally beneficial is that chance for members of multinational coalitions to explore military cultures other than their own, overcoming fears that may have once separated them.

“The most important part is exchanging ideas. We are now all speaking the same language,” said al-Qudah, deputy commander of the Combined Joint Task Force at Eager Lion. “It even reaches the point where you start to know how your counterparts think.”

This was the first time in the three years of Eager Lion’s existence that the Jordanian armed forces assumed command of the exercise. U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Robert Catalanotti, U.S. Central Command’s director of exercises and the highest ranking American officer at Eager Lion, praised the Jordanians for their “very disciplined” leadership as they managed the complexities of a multinational event that took nearly a year to plan.

“Eager Lion is an excellent example of teamwork that brings together military forces and interagency partners from around the world,” Catalanotti said. “This exercise challenges the participants to respond to realistic, modern-day security scenarios by integrating a variety of disciplines in the air, on land and at sea.”

Jordan provided 95 percent of the staffing at the top levels of Eager Lion, noted Maj. Gen. Awni al-Edwan, operations and training chief of staff for the Jordanian armed forces during the exercise.

Capping several days of demonstrations, Jordanian commandos secure a building on June 20, 2013, as a hazardous-materials team arrives to inspect for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials.  UNIPATH STAFF
Capping several days of demonstrations, Jordanian commandos secure a building on June 20, 2013, as a hazardous-materials team arrives to inspect for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials. UNIPATH STAFF

Northland versus Highland
Eager Lion’s scenarios were designed to support the fictional country of “Highland,” whose borders were breached by refugees escaping a civil war in neighboring “Northland.” That civil war pitted the forces of dictator “Rashab al-Dasha” against the “Free Northland Army.”

As Northland accused Highland of supporting rebel forces, hostilities escalated. First came incursions from Northland aircraft that Highland and its allies needed to repulse. Later came missile launches and chemical attacks on displaced person camps.

From a simulation center in Zarqa, mostly Jordanian staff officers summoned air, sea and land forces to counter the varied threats. Since the Eager Lion scenarios also required humanitarian aid, the Jordanians enlisted civilian agencies as well, making coordination that much more challenging.

“Just being part of the exercise already means you’re successful,” Brig. Gen. al-Qudah said. “I’m amazed at the spirit of teamwork you see among the participants.”

Capability at sea
Though Jordan possesses the narrowest of coastlines, centered on the port of Aqaba, this northernmost point of the Red Sea served as a platform for a display of elite tactics featuring Jordanian, Iraqi and U.S. special forces.
Swift boats and helicopters swarmed an enemy-occupied ferry that steamed close to shore, within range of the assembled observers. Airborne troops slid down ropes onto the ship’s deck while seaborne forces scampered up the side of the vessel on rope ladders, both teams ultimately converging on the ferry’s bridge and engine room.

For Iraqi special forces, the maritime simulation was among the pinnacles of Eager Lion. Protecting oil terminals off the southern coast of Iraq near Basra demands innovative tactics, and the skills displayed by the multinational combatants drew applause from the observers.

“We had our special forces participating in three exercises this year,” Iraqi Army Brig. Gen. Ayad Oraibi Flayyih said. “Hopefully, next year we’ll have even wider participation.”

Amid the whir of dozens of news cameras, as Eager Lion reached its climax, the Jordanians took understandable pride in the results.

“Long live his majesty the king!” a Jordanian noncommissioned officer chanted.

“Life! Life! Life!” a chorus of Soldiers responded in unison.

Eager Lion 2014
Jordanian commanders predict an even larger Eager Lion in 2014. Planners, who have already begun to outline the May 2014 exercise, expect to attract 20,000 participants from more than 25 countries. Already, countries are reserving training slots, coming from as far away as northern Europe.

“Our mission in Afghanistan is about to end, so next year’s exercise will allow us to continue training in a different environment than we’re used to,” said Polish Col. Krzysztof Banaszek, who arrived in Jordan as an observer for Eager Lion 2013.

As a crowd of more than 100 uniformed military observers dispersed at the conclusion of the exercise at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center, Maj. Gen. al-Edwan issued a call to all “brotherly and friendly countries” to join Eager Lion in 2014.

“I’d like to see countries not just send observers,” the general said moments after his troops collected accolades from the crowd, a whiff of combat smoke still hanging in the air. “I’d like to see them as participants.”

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