Amman, Jan. 24 (Petra) - His Majesty King Abdullah II, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, directed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, in a letter, to devise a comprehensive strategy and roadmap to achieve a structural transformation in the armed forces over the course of the next three years.
Following is the English translation of the letter: "Major General Yousef Huneiti, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army, Peace, God’s mercy, and blessings be upon you, I extend my greetings to you and to the servicemen and women of our valiant Armed Forces, in every rank and position, and express my pride in their dedicated efforts to safeguard this homeland and its resources.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Our Arab Army is a national institution that every Jordanian is proud of. Its personnel continue to serve Jordan with courage, distinction and dedication, bravely countering any threats to its borders and the security of its citizens, and setting the greatest examples of bravery and devotion.
Driven by our commitment to bolstering the capabilities of our Arab Army and ensuring the continuous development of its capacities and tools, we direct you to devise a comprehensive strategy and a clear roadmap to achieve a structural transformation in the Armed Forces over the next three years, with the goal of enabling them to counter the current and future threats, as well as rapid changes and emerging challenges brought on by technological developments and expanding areas of operations.
We must examine the requirements for modernising and developing our Armed Forces, while restructuring them to keep pace with combat demands within various environments of operation. This should be done in a way that ensures mastery of modern warfare techniques, as well effective utilisation of capabilities in keeping with the nature of modern hybrid and untraditional wars.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, We aspire to have efficient, adaptable, and highly qualified Armed Forces, which we must continue to arm, train, and equip to handle modern combat methods, ensuring they remain at maximum professionalism and combat readiness to achieve strategic deterrence. Precise and well-developed combat doctrines must govern all army formations, characterised by lean simplicity, efficiency, and applicability through optimum utilisation of defensive and offensive capabilities. Moreover, plans should be developed for training and armament that serve tactical operations.
Our Armed Forces must have the ability to protect their key strategic and operational centres. In order to establish a proficient, trusted and secure command, control, and communication apparatus, the army must be able to employ modern defence technology in coordination with specialised directorates and research and development centres within its ranks. It must also be able to cooperate with defence industry companies locally and in friendly countries.
We must also work to ensure a competitive edge in one or more areas of operational combat, prioritise investing and capacity-building in cyber defence and offence operations to guarantee competitiveness, and employ drone and artificial intelligence technologies across every level of the Armed Forces’ units.
Our Armed Forces must have sufficient reserve forces, equipped with the various needed capabilities to execute their operations efficiently and in accordance with the duties assigned to them in tactical plans. These plans must also entail the most effective deployment of units from the Border Guards, the Gendarmerie, and the Public Security Directorate’s Special Police. Moreover, the logistical support apparatus must be bolstered to cover all levels and ensure the smooth flow of supply lines and sustainability.
To ensure a qualitative leap in our defence industry capabilities and to keep pace with rapid developments in this field, we must redirect the role of the Jordan Design and Development Bureau. We must strengthen its capacity to become a hub for research, development, and manufacturing of advanced defence technology, in line with the latest global standards, and with the goal of meeting various national needs in this domain.
This transformation strategy must also include clear steps to restructure the funds and investment companies affiliated with the Armed Forces, in accordance with the highest professional standards of governance and administration.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Based on the above, I look forward to receiving this strategy and roadmap, so that it may be adopted and implemented immediately. I am confident that you and the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army personnel will be up to the task of developing and modernising our Army and achieving a qualitative leap to ensure that our Armed Forces remain, as always, in the vanguard of military forces, known for their efficiency and keeping up with various modern developments. Efforts to develop and modernise our Armed Forces will be met with my full support, to advance our Army and protect our dear Jordan.
Peace, God’s mercy, and blessings be upon you." Abdullah ibn Al Hussein //Petra// AA
