AMMAN, Jordan – U.S. service members training in Jordan had the opportunity to participate in an Oct. 10 dedication ceremony for an expansion of the Jordan Armed Forces Joint Training Center. The new JTC wing provides service members a modern facility as the U.S. military and the Jordan Armed Forces continue to enhance interoperability by pursuing training opportunities together.
JTC was built in 2003 to serve as a facility for U.S. and Jordanian soldiers to train on combat and border security skills as part of the Jordan Operational Engagement Program. In 2016 the Jordanian government commissioned the expansion of JTC, to meet the evolving requirements of joint operations. A ground-breaking was held that October.
Maj. Gen. Andrew Schafer, commanding general of the 28th Infantry Division – whose headquarters battalion is serving as the division headquarters element of Task Force Spartan –said the new center will give service members and partners the facilities needed to be successful. TFS soldiers are among the U.S. personnel who will utilize the new post.
“This new facility will allow the U.S. military and our Jordan partners to train together and counter malign influences in the region,” Schafer said. “Our allies and partners are key to our overall strength. This training center will allow the U.S. military to build on the great partnership we have with the country of Jordan now and in the future.”
“As with this new facility, when we modernize and train with new technologies we continue to share to maintain compatibility and cooperation with our Jordan allies,” Schafer added.
Schafer commended 28 ID Soldiers Col. Robert Robinson and Command Sgt. Maj. Mainiero, Army Forces-Jordan director and command sergeant major, respectively, saying their leadership has resulted in an excellent working relationship with Jordanian leaders on the consolidation of U.S. service members to the brand new training center.
The new facility was planned and built by Loyalty Support Services, a company that serves the U.S. and Jordanian militaries. Robinson credited LSS and the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF) for ensuring the vision of Jordan’s King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein – for a truly great place for U.S. forces to train – has been achieved.
“You have done well my friends,” Robinson said to Jordanian military and government leaders present for the dedication ceremony. “It is truly a great place, thank you.”
Dignitaries, JAF, and U.S. service members gathered around a traffic circle inside the gate to the new wing to witness the hoisting of the Jordanian and U.S. flags. The short dedication ceremony was followed by a walking tour of the post. Amenities on the post include a large dining hall, multiple barracks and office buildings, drop-off laundry facilities, a post office, and a café. Physical fitness facilities include a cardio gym, weightlifting gym, and basketball court.
In the weeks leading up to the dedication ceremony, work crews put the final coats of paint on sidewalks and cleaned streets. Open areas between buildings are covered in colored landscaping stone and street edges are adorned with plantings of palm trees, conifers, shrubs, and flowers. TFS soldiers spent several weeks moving from a previous JTC location to occupy the new space prior to the dedication ceremony.
“This incredible day was long in coming and a great deal of hard work, blood, sweat, and tears went into making this possible,” Robinson said. “Today’s achievement is a testimony to the mountains that can be moved when talented, dedicated people work together in a common pursuit.”