Jordan occupies a central location in the Middle East and North Africa region, where traditional and nontraditional threats are numerous and diverse, constantly placing the kingdom’s stability at risk and forcing its planning apparatus to operate while facing a future dominated by unpredictability and uncertainty.
For that reason, the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army has a constant need to upgrade its capabilities to confront emerging threats in every way possible. This includes participating in military exercises and maneuvers at local, regional and international levels.
Military exercises are considered a primary component to maintain force preparedness and ensure our ability to respond to potential threats quickly and effectively. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hosted the Eager Lion exercise in May 2024 with the participation of 33 countries. Eager Lion is one of the most important joint military exercises conducted by allied countries to guard against emerging and cross-border threats.
The exercise enables participating countries’ militaries to work together under a common command structure to identify preferred means and methods of confronting all land, air and sea threats, and improve response capabilities of other institutions like intelligence, media and information services.
Eager Lion 2024 was designed to achieve several strategic, operational and tactical objectives. At the strategic level, the exercise aimed to create a common understanding of the nature of emerging and cross-border threats — like terrorist organizations and the groups, entities and parties supporting them — as well as the proliferation of drones and biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their various delivery methods, namely, a variety of missile systems.
Operationally, the exercise aligned the forces of participating countries in terms of planning and targeting methodology, combat operations command (land, air and sea), logistical support operations, and natural disaster and pandemic response.
Tactically, the exercise prepared personnel, individually and collectively, and honed response skills to confront WMD, address humanitarian crises, and conduct explosive ordnance disposal.
Unmanned aerial vehicles and other unmanned air and maritime systems present a novel threat to defense systems. While useful for enhancing national and regional security, some of these relatively inexpensive systems are often exploited by malicious actors who seek to destabilize the region.
Armed groups and terrorist organizations continue to be a clear and present danger to the Middle East. This requires us to remain vigilant and confront their cross-border activities and operations in various ways. Consequently, Jordan has formed rapid response forces equipped with the latest technology to confront such threats. It is also conducting social media campaigns to educate citizens on the dangers of extremism and terrorism.
Training to counter WMD is a top regional military priority and was a key component in Eager Lion. The Jordan Armed Forces and various ministries and state institutions also participated in global forums to exchange best practices in countering chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear weapons.
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the world’s vulnerability to the unexpected spread of infectious diseases. Now, with the establishment of the Jordanian Center for Disease Control, we are more prepared to deal with biological pathogens. This was another key component in Eager Lion 24.
The digital revolution, which has left institutions and individuals primarily dependent on computers and their networks, necessitates cyberspace fortification and a focus on possessing the best means and techniques for combating these increasingly complex cyberattacks. A cyber response unit was set up during Eager Lion 24 to protect against potential cyberthreats and expose troops to scenarios in which the enemy tries to penetrate our cyberspace. Training also included combating hostile information operations that have a significant influence on national decision-making and the general mood of the population.
Emerging threats require that allied and friendly countries establish and maintain strong partnerships. Training remains a cornerstone of these partnerships, but it is not the only way to build security cooperation. We must share intelligence to detect imminent threats, link the air defense umbrella with missile systems at the national level, and expand this link with all partners in the region to ensure effective and rapid response to hostile missile systems.
We in the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army constantly seek to improve our combat doctrine and strengthen international partnerships and alliances to confront emerging threats and achieve national and collective security. The security of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is a component of regional and global security, which informs our decision to continuously host Eager Lion.
This issue of Unipath magazine covers the topic of emerging threats in greater detail. It will give you the opportunity to consider elements of greater threats and the most effective ways of confronting them to enhance national, regional and international security.
Brig. Gen. Mustafa Abdel Halim Al Hiyari
Director of Military Media, Jordan Armed Forces