US and Jordan launch ‘Eager Lion’ military exercise

The US and Jordan have launched what has been called the largest ever military exercise in the Hashemite Kingdom, Huffington Post has reported. Codenamed “Eager Lion”, the exercise involves 7,400 troops.

Although most are from America and the kingdom, troops from more than 20 countries are participating in the programme, including Britain, Japan, Kenya and Saudi Arabia. It is scheduled to last until 18 May.

According to military spokespersons for the US and Jordanian armies, Eager Lion will cover border security, cyber-defence and command and control exercises to sustain mutual coordination in response to threats, including terrorism.

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The exercise is being headed by Jordan’s Brigadier-General Khalid Al-Sharaa. “Jordan has been hosting such exercises with our partners and allies for many years,” he explained. “Joint efforts and coordination, with an exchange of expertise… are needed at a time when the region is facing the threat of terrorism.”

US Major-General Bill Hickman, the deputy commander of the American army in the area, noted that this year’s exercise is the largest and most complex to date. “Eager Lion has become an important exercise between the US, Jordan and other international military partners,” he added. “This will be the first time that a global strike mission will be conducted by two US Air Force B-1B bomber aircraft – a long-range multi-mission bomber,” Hickman pointed out.

The first time that such exercises were conducted was in 2011. Last year, about 6,000 troops from Jordan and the US took part. Jordan is one of the main partners in the US-led coalition fighting Daesh in the Middle East.

AlJazeera.com said that, two years ago, the US announced its intention to increase overall US aid to Jordan from $660m to $1bn annually for the 2015-2017 period.