Abdullah opts for US money and protection
 
The Royal Jordanian Army has never really been deployed for offensive operations and has concentrated on developing anti-air and anti-tank defensive capabilities. Indeed a large proportion of the Army has been tasked to prevent an Israeli flanking advance through Umm Qays in northern Jordan into Syria directly threatening Damascus from the south. However King Abdullah II, half British and educated in part at the Jesuit Centre of Georgetown University has now opted to join the Egyptians in embracing the United States, Israeli and Turkish anti-Islamic alliance.
 
Abdullah, pitch-forked onto the throne with the help of the CIA and at the expense of the former Crown Prince, has taken up the close relationship his father had maintained with the US Intelligence community for much of his long reign. King Abdullah II knows only too well who really keeps him in power and with the possible withdrawal of Saudi financial support, the Hashemite Kingdom needs the United States more than ever before.
 
Abdullah's Government is also highly disturbed by the prospect of Sharon 'ethnically cleansing' the West Bank in particular, of Palestinians with the direct result that Jordan's stability would be threatened by a huge number of refugees. Israel, with Washington's support may choose to arbitrarily designate Jordan as a future Palestinian homeland and Abdullah has made the decision to 'embrace his enemies more closely' in the hope of preventing this catastrophe.
 
Jordan turns its guns towards new enemies
 
Since the major reorganization of 1977 the Royal Jordanian Army has kept the 5th Armoured Division deployed between the Iraqi border and Ramtha on the Syrian border, the 12th Mechanized Division deployed from Ramtha through Umm Qays to the Zarqa River in a defensive posture that cover both Israel and Syria and the 4th Mechanized Division deployed from Zarqa River, north of As-Salt to the Dead Sea facing Israel.  The 3rd Armoured Division acts as both the strategic reserve and the main protection against an internal coup. It has units deployed at Zarqa in the north; near the capital Amman along with a brigade of Royal Guards made up of hand-picked troops from Bedouin tribes known for their long-standing loyalty to the Hashemite family, and Qatraneh in the south covering the route into Saudi Arabia.
 
In 1996 the Jordanian Army finally established a Special Operations Command, the brain-child of Abdullah then a serving Army officer. It is tasked to deal with a possible Palestinian uprising and the growth of Islamic terrorism. This powerful force now includes the 71st and 101st Special Force Battalions, the 81st and 91st Paracommando Battalions and both electronic warfare and helicopter support units.
 
What is particularly significant is the possible re-positioning of both the 4th and the 12th Divisions along routes to the Syrian and Iraqi borders and the concentration of additional units from the 3rd Division facing Saudi Arabia. It has become increasingly apparent that Jordan's young King does not see Israel as a direct military threat and like the Muslim states of Egypt and Turkey has accepted Washington's contention that only a united front against Islamic extremism can prevent the overthrow of pro-Western Arab states.
 
The Bush administration has increased significantly the financial aid it will provide to Jordan  following the wholehearted support expressed by King Abdullah II during his recent visit. The 2003 budget proposal submitted by President Bush to Congress, shows $198 million in civilian aid up from $78 million in 2001 and $250 million in military aid, compared with $150 million last year.  The main  increase in military aid is earmarked for fortifying Jordan's eastern border areas with Iraq in expectation of a major US attack to overthrow the Baghdad regime. Israel which has recently staged a number of tests of its defence against missile attacks may well be asked to provide air cover for Jordan in the event of an all out war with Iraq and its Syrian and Iranian allies.
 
Washington's military aid for both Israel with $2.1 billion and Egypt with over $1.3 billion dwarfs that of Jordan, but Abdullahs new stance is likely to see a huge increase in the aid flowing into his country over the next few years and a marked improvement in the quality of his armed forces. Whether a grateful Washington will protect Jordan from becoming a dumping ground for Israel's unwanted Palestinians following the probable annexation of the occupied territories is another matter entirely.
 
Richard M. Bennett
 
 

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