Jordan and the United States focus on force integration at Eager Lion 2016
There was barely even a bird to break the silence on the bleak volcanic badia, the desert that stretches from western Jordan to the Iraqi border. Dust devils swirled around a village that terrorists had converted into a stronghold.
The skies awakened to the sound of U.S. B-52 bombers, accompanied by two Jordanian F-16 fighter jets, negotiating a bombing run over the enemy positions. From atop a distant desert ridge, Jordanian and American howitzers pounded the terrorist-occupied village, throwing up geysers of dirt and gravel. Minutes later, puffs of yellow dust announced an onslaught of Jordanian and American battle tanks on the terrorist stronghold.
Multinational integration was the word of the day: The 800 Jordanian Soldiers — tank operators, infantry and artillerymen — operated down to the company level with a similar number of U.S. Soldiers and Marines. Together they accomplished their training mission on this last day of Eager Lion 2016, the bilateral exercise hosted by Jordan and designed to simulate the types of conventional and unconventional threats found in the Middle East.
CPL. PAUL S. MARTINEZ/
U.S. MARINE CORPS
“In planning an exercise, you always take into consideration the threats and challenges,” said Brig. Gen. Fahad Faleh Ahmad al-Damen, the Jordan Armed Forces director of the joint military training. “It’s not just Daesh. For us, no matter what you call them, they always come from the same ideology that is against our national interests and our common goals.”
Throughout most of its existence, Eager Lion has attracted military forces and observers from more than a dozen countries. However, commanders deliberately focused the 2016 exercise, which ran from May 15 to 24, on bilateral Jordanian-U.S. cooperation. Jordan will host an expanded, multinational Eager Lion in 2017 and from there on out alternate between bilateral and multilateral exercises each year.
“This exercise is exceptional. This is the sixth exercise and has a special flavor, which is bilateral cooperation with the United States,” said Jordanian Maj. Gen. Mohammad Salem Jaradat, chief of staff of training. “All our objectives have been met.”
Eager Lion 2016 embraced a wide range of scenarios using Jordan’s diverse geography as a backdrop. Exercise themes included border security, counterterrorism, command and control, cyber defense, evacuating mass casualties, crisis management, strategic communication and maritime protection. About 6,000 service members participated, nearly equally split between Jordan and the U.S.
Marching through the wilderness, integrated special operations forces performed nighttime reconnaissance missions. Jordanian and American helicopters flew side by side, and spotters called in coordinates for air assaults. At the command level, Arabic- and English-speaking staffers huddled under tents to direct training operations.
“As you go through these command posts, you’ll see Jordanian officers and [noncommissioned officers, or NCOs] right next to our officers and NCOs working side by side and working through tactical and operational problems,” Gen. Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, said after observing the scene at Eager Lion’s Zarqa command center.
As an example of how the 2016 exercise raised the intensity level over past years, planners staged a first-ever “dirty bomb” event. Teams of Jordanians and Americans wearing protective suits were forced to quarantine and decontaminate a metal box aboard a pickup truck that purportedly contained radiological material. The military was assisted by Jordanian civilian agencies such as the Energy and Minerals Deregulatory Commission, an example of Jordan’s whole-of-government approach.
“Jordanian and United States’ teams picked the scenarios that resembled the security challenges in the region and included symmetric and asymmetric operations,” said Brig. Gen. Amjed Al Zoubie, director of Eager Lion’s High Command during the exercise.
At the Al Hussein Medical Center in Amman, Jordan’s biggest hospital, Eager Lion simulated an explosion in a warehouse to test how military and civilian teams handled mass casualties. Billowing smoke and actors writhing and moaning on the ground lent a realistic feel to the spectacle.
“It was obvious the Jordanian medical staff was very interested in simulating an extremely realistic scenario, with the utmost concerns in providing quality casualty care,” said U.S. Navy Cmdr. Mark Ingram, lead surgeon for the Combined Joint Task Force at Eager Lion.
Jordanian 2nd Lt. Dr. Firas Hammoudeh returned the compliment: “Working with U.S. medical forces during Eager Lion has taught me how they operate, from building daily briefs and reports, to implementing simple to more complex medical procedures. We have shared many ideas with one another, and every year the exercise builds on past evolutions of Eager Lion to only get better.”
Planners didn’t neglect practicing conventional warfare either. In the arid, rolling terrain around the southern Jordanian community of Al Quweira, Jordanian Marines and their U.S. counterparts practiced launching rifle and grenade attacks against trenches.
“We have been training alongside the Marines for the past couple of years, and we want to hold our battalion to the same standards as U.S. Marines,” said 1st Lt. Mahmood Baniomar of the Jordanian 77th Marines Battalion. “Training out here is worth every moment.”
U.S. Marines shared the enthusiasm for the joint training that continued to build interoperability between the two forces.
“I have worked with the Jordanians before in Afghanistan, and they are very spot-on,” a U.S. noncommissioned officer noted. “Our techniques and the way we train are very similar.”
Less noticeable during military maneuvers but equally important to military effectiveness, the U.S. Central Command Partner Network was given a thorough testing during Eager Lion. The network is a secure computer system — with origins dating back to 1999 — designed to increase lines of communication among coalition forces.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to roll it out in a big exercise like this,” Gen. Votel said at Eager Lion. “We’re working through the bugs associated with that but, in general, getting pretty positive results.”
After turning away nations that wanted to send participants and observers to Eager Lion 2016, Jordanian Gen. Fahad offered reassurances that the next exercise in May 2017 would be fully multinational. Jordan and the U.S. began their Eager Lion collaboration in 2011.
“Our partnership with the U.S. is deeply rooted at the strategic level,” Gen. Fahad said. “Every year we are enhancing that by doing exercise Eager Lion and others.”
U.S. Central Command Public Affairs contributed to this article.
A Woman Warrior
BY UNIPATH STAFF
The Jordan Armed Forces successfully integrates female officers into Eager Lion
Army Capt. Nusaybah Saleh Al-Omari was one of two Jordanian female officers who participated in Eager Lion 2016. She is part of a growing number of Jordanian women employed in the security sector as Soldiers, police officers and civil defense workers. These pioneering women have taken part in peacekeeping missions since 2007 in places such as Afghanistan, Libya and Sudan. Capt. Nusaybah took a break from her duties at Eager Lion — where she shared a work tent with her mostly male colleagues — to talk to Unipath about her life in the Jordan Armed Forces.
Unipath: What’s it like being a woman in the
Armed Forces?
Capt. Nusaybah: I am very proud to be member of Jordan Armed Forces, to serve my nation, defend its principles and gain the respect of my male colleagues, neighbors and family. I love my job and feel very happy when I wear my uniform every morning as I notice the respectful and admiring looks on the faces of my fellow citizens. I enrolled in the Armed Forces in 2007 after graduating from the university. After completing a year of military training I earned the rank of second lieutenant.
Unipath: Which military branches do women serve in?
Capt. Nusaybah: In the past, women were permitted only in limited fields like administrative assistance, health and education. But Jordanian women have come a long way and have become battlefield officers. Nowadays, women in the Armed Forces work alongside their male counterparts in almost all fields. The leadership opened many opportunities for women to specialize in fields that were once available only to men. We have females in special operations, the royal guard, the military police and the Air Force.
Unipath: What are the challenges for women in the Armed Forces?
Capt. Nusaybah: Maybe there are family-related challenges, but I don’t think there are any in the workplace. By family issues, I mean the issues that face both females and males serving in the Armed Forces. The women in the Armed Forces exhibit a professionalism and determination that has made them an example for Jordanian women. When it comes to our relationship with men in the military, we have a very good relationship built on professionalism and respect among officers and staff. We treat each other like brothers and sisters and learn and share experiences. The immeasurable support from my fellow officers makes me proud of them all.
Unipath: What is your current assignment
in the Army?
Capt. Nusaybah: I currently work in the directorate of women in the military. This department tracks all officers, noncommissioned officers and civilians in the Armed Forces.
Unipath: What is your role in Eager Lion?
Capt. Nusaybah: I am a member of the public affairs team, the cell responsible for all activities regarding displaced people and refugees and the civilians who are impacted by military operations. Our job is to work with them to arrange aid from government and nonprofit organizations and provide help, whether it be financial or physical.
Unipath: Tell us about working with your American counterparts.
Capt. Nusaybah: Eager Lion is one of the most important exercises for us; it provides vast knowledge and experience to the participants. We learn the culture and traditions of our friends in the United States Armed Forces as well as learn their language. At the same time, they learn Arabic phrases from me and how to interact with local civilians. We discuss and debate many things, including history, culture and the multiethnic environment. One important topic is how to design refugee camps and how to interact with Muslim women in these camps. It made me happy to see my American teammates come to me for advice about any religious or cultural concerns.
Unipath: Why did you decide to join the Armed Forces?
Capt. Nusaybah: Jordanian society has become very accepting of women in the Armed Forces. In addition, my husband and many of my family members are members of the Armed Forces. That was very encouraging.
Unipath: How do you balance work and home?
Capt. Nusaybah: I am a mother of three children; everybody in my family is supportive, especially my mother-in-law, who kindly takes care of my young children while I am at work. That helps me cope with work and remain confident that my children are in good hands.
Unipath: What is your professional goal?
Capt. Nusaybah: I love my job so much that I will continue my journey and hope I will become a general one day. There are many training courses that all members of the Armed Forces are required to take. Working in Armed Forces requires specific skills, physical fitness and knowledge of current technology. I am very committed to continue learning and advance up the ladder of leadership.