2015 Eager Lion military drill kicks off
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Amman, May 5 (Petra) -- The 2015 Eager Lion military drill kicked off on
Tuesday with the participation of 10,000 troops and a number of
international organizes and government agencies from 18 countries.

Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, Iraq,
Britain, France, Italy, Pakistan, the United States of America, Canada,
Belgium, Poland and Australia as well as the NATO are taking part in the
exercise, Director of Training at the Jordan Armed Forces, Brig. Gen. Fahad
al-Damen said in press conference.

Noteworthy, this is the 5th edition of the high-profile drill which was
launched in 2011. Al-Damen told reporters that the drill in opportunity for
military commanders to meet and coordinate efforts and exchange expertise on
counter-terrorism.

Director of Exercises and Training at the U.S. Central Command, Maj. Gen.
Rick Mattson, said the 2015 Eager Lion drill is the most prominent and major
military exercise between the U.S. Central Command and the Jordan Armed
Forces since it was launched in 2011.

This exercise provides opportunities to build, strengthen and develop
relations, and exchange experiences between the two sides to ensure the
success of joint endeavors in the future, Mattson noted.

Training will take place at nine different locations in the Kingdom, all of
which are far from border areas, Al Damen pointed out.

Mattson said the US army has no plans to leave any weapons, vehicles or even
military personnel in Jordan. "Everything available is dedicated to the
success of the exercise," he added, noting that the B-52 strategic bomber
will participate in the exercise for the first time.

//Petra// AF 5/5/2015 - 07:47:27 PM