feature article

August 2006

Jordanian Facility to Train Regional and International Forces

By Grace Jean

PARIS — Ground has been broken in Jordan to begin construction on one of the world’s most comprehensive anti-terrorism training facilities.

The King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center, based 20 kilometers northeast of Amman, will feature a wide variety of live-fire ranges and other land, sea and air training facilities, said representatives during a recent military exposition here.

Situated on 500 acres alongside towering cliffs in Yajooz, the training compound will include a large, live-fire urban training center, a driver training range, close-quarter battle houses, sniper training ranges, vehicle mock-ups, housing and mess hall facilities that can accommodate 650 people at a time, said Col. Maher Halaseh, project director, from the King Abdullah II design and development bureau, an organization created by Jordan’s government in 1999 to provide scientific and technical capabilities to its armed forces.

While the center’s immediate beneficiary will be the Jordanian Special Forces Command, the country intends to open the center’s doors to other units, both nationally and internationally, upon completion in 2009.

“The center will give non-Mediterranean nations the real environment of fighting counter-terrorism in this area,” said Halaseh.

The center could accommodate a battalion-size group, with company-sized elements training simultaneously on the various ranges, pointed out project representatives.

Urban operations training will be conducted in mock villages that simulate homes, two-story shops, embassies, palaces and industrial buildings that are found in commercial areas. In certain zones alongside the cliff, forces will be able to train using live ammunition — a unique feature that is rarely found in military urban training facilities, said project planners.

A tall control tower will be erected near the village so that staff can observe, evaluate and manipulate exercises occurring throughout the entire training center, said Halaseh.

Portions of the compound will be dedicated to mock-ups of buses, railway cars, an aircraft fuselage and airport control tower that will provide realistic settings for hostage scenario training.

In addition, a long, live-fire driving track that weaves between urban building facades will provide VIP-protection training for convoys, said Halaseh.

At Az Zarqa, about 40 kilometers northeast of Amman, outdoor facilities, such as a light anti-tank weapon range, will offer instruction in sniper and infantry battle shooting techniques, said Halaseh.

Maritime security training will take place in southern Jordan, at Al Aqabah on the Gulf of Aqaba, inside a structure that simulates a ship. Maritime counter-terrorism teams can conduct diving, sea and air assaults simultaneously.

The $99 million project is being funded by the U.S. government through a 2005 Defense Department supplemental budget request.

“We strongly support Jordan’s offer to establish a special operations center of excellence to boost regional special operations forces capacity,” testified Gen. John Abizaid, commander of U.S. Central Command, before the Senate Armed Forces Committee last year. “Jordan’s very capable [special operations force] makes this a natural site for a high caliber regional training and cooperation center,” he added.

Jordan previously attempted to build the facility in 2002, but failed because it lacked funds. Now as a joint Jordanian-U.S. effort, a team from U.S. Special Operations Command Central is assisting in the development of the center.

The Army Corps of Engineers, which is the project’s contracting agency, has subcontracted the design and development of the training center to Stanley Consultants, said Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Curt Harig, plans officer for SOCCENT.

Harig said that when the United States initially became involved, a team of developers traveled coast to coast to look at existing U.S. military training facilities.

“Although they may have a similar layout, we’ve not seen any of them that have consolidated so many different capabilities” as the King Abdullah center, he said.

What makes the center unique is that it combines a number of ranges in one location so that forces can do a variety of training, he explained.

The target audience is special forces, he said, but Jordan will grant access to other groups as well, such as police counter-terrorism units, border protection agents and emergency response teams.

Jordanian counter-terrorism forces will benefit through joint training exercises with international forces, added Halaseh. The center also will expose them to new tactics and equipment used in fighting extremism and will enhance cooperation between nations.

“We see there is a great benefit of having the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center in Jordan and all friendly counter-terrorism forces from all over the world coming to train,” said Halaseh.

Once construction is complete, authority of the center will be handed over to Jordan. But the country would still welcome all friendly nations, including the United States, for training, said Maher.

“Terrorism will be defeated by the joint effort of everyone who cares about the prosperity of this planet. Therefore, well-trained forces will be the crucial element in fighting terrorism,” he said.

The center also could host training for the Iraqi security forces, as long as both Jordanian and U.S. parties decide to allow it, added Maher.

The country already hosts important training schools for Iraqi special forces and police, according to Abizaid’s congressional testimony. “Jordan, being a key ally in the war on terror, and its relative safe and secure environment — we’re thinking it’ll be a very good area for people to come train in relative safety,” said Harig.

All project funds are expected to be under contract by September.

Perimeter fencing on the Yajooz site will continue to be constructed, with ground breaking on the buildings expected by the end of September.

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