Jordan - Army Order of Battle
![]() |
Royal Guard BrigadeHamza Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib (Sayed Al-Shuhada) |
![]() |
Royal Special Forces Group |
![]() |
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
|
![]() |
Northern Command |
![]() |
Southern Command |
![]() |
Central Command |
![]() |
East Command |
![]() |
inactivated 2018
King Abdullah II 3rd Armored Division |
![]() |
inactivated 2017
Special Operations Command |
In addition to these forces, certain other forces underlined the basic function of the JAA: protection of the regime. One brigade of Royal Guards is deployed in Amman; its troops have been picked from beduin tribes known for their long-standing loyalty to the Hashemite family.
Last, but not least on this list of units that made up the backbone of the Jordanian army was the Special Operations Command, the brainchild of King Abdallah. Under King Abdullah and subsequent commanders, JORSOCOM grew substantially. By 2016, the command included three brigades at a total strength on paper of 7,000 operators. The center of JORSOCOM was the 37th Special Forces Brigade, consisting of the 71st Counterterrorism Battalion, 101st Special Forces Battalion, and the 82nd Airborne Battalion. The 37th Brigade was supported by the 28th Royal Ranger Brigade and the 5th Special Operations Aviation Brigade.
In the summer of 2017, the new chairman of the Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff, Lieutenant General Mahmoud Freihat, launched a package of reforms which appeared to some to be driven by budgetary constraints. It also looked like the standard "52 card pickup" reorganization to frustrate potential formation of subversive factions within security elements. The Special Operation Forces Command JORSOCOM headquarters was inactivated, and its consituent units parcelled out among other commands, leaving only the brigade level King Abdullah II Royal Special Operation Forces Group. Jordanian officials described this as a move to strengthen their special operations forces, but there is a risk that the changes could actually diminish the operational effectiveness of these forces.
The 3rd Royal Armored Division functioned as the Jordanian strategic reserve and was deployed between Zarqa, to the northeast of Amman to Qatraneh in the south on the way to Saudi Arabia. In 2018, the 3rd Armored Division HQ with many support units and one armored brigade (91st) was deactivated. Two remaining armored brigades (40th, 60th) and some units were transferred to Central Command.
On 01 August 2014 the rapid reaction force (Desert Hawk) brigade was formed, which on 5 November 2017 became the Rapid reaction Brigade and on June 25, 2018 was renamed the rapid intervention / high-readiness brigade, subordinated to Directorate of joint military operations. In 2017, units from deactivated 28th Royal Ranger Brigade transferred to QRF Brigade.
On 20 November 2018, King Abdullah II presided over a ceremony where the military renamed one of its special forces units "Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Rapid Intervention / High Readiness Brigade" from "Desert Brigade". A statement by Jordan's royal court said: "Naming the brigade after the UAE crown prince is an expression of the deep brotherly ties between the two nations." The brigade was established in 2014 during the Syrian civil war with the help of the US army. The US Central Command, which lists Jordan, Syria and Iraq as part of its area of responsibility, envisioned the brigade as a strike force to target ISIL fighters in Iraq and Syria. The US also equipped the brigade with eight US-made Blackhawk helicopters. The UAE signed a $100m grant agreement with the Jordan's Crown Prince Foundation during al-Nahyan's visit to the country on to support business development in Jordan.
Senior Jordanian military officers expressed displeasure over the renaming of one of the country's combat brigades after the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. The move angered many of Jordan's armed forces high command. The move was "deeply insulting to Jordan's military traditions", said a senior officer who wished to remain anonymous.
"The renaming of the brigade is ill-conceived and it contradicts Jordan's military values," Mahmoud Hammad, a retired general and former commander of Jordan's land forces, told Al Jazeera. "The military divisions are named after royal family members and historic Muslim commanders. I respect Abu Dhabi's crown prince and his late father but to have one of Jordan's armed forces units named after him is just too much."
NEWSLETTER
|
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|