Army directed to revisit officers’ recruitment, career path policies

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), has directed the army to reconsider its approach to the recruitment and career development of commissioned officers.

He also urged the military to maintain “the advanced level of professionalism, capabilities and abilities” enjoyed by the members of JAF.

In a letter he sent to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff General Mashal Al Zaben on Monday, the King said the new approach is part of “integrated programmes within a comprehensive national strategy”.

“We deem it necessary to revisit the methodology of recruiting officers and trajectory of their military career with the aim of enhancing the capabilities of the armed forces and upgrading the skills of their members,” King Abdullah said in the letter, urging the military to “attract qualified young Jordanians and encourage them to join the ranks of the armed forces, in a manner that entrenches the spirit of good citizenship and true loyalty”.

The new recruits, His Majesty added, should be trained to acquire experiences and skills so that their potentials as creative people are fully tapped. 

This should be coupled with discipline and commitment to noble values and a sense of responsibility among officers as they serve their country.

The new recruitment policies, King Abdullah said, would ensure the country a supply of skilful and disciplined youth who exhibit a constructive approach and can later serve the country in other sectors and abroad. 

Reiterating his confidence and support for JAF, King Abdullah directed Zaben to take the necessary steps to translate this vision into facts on the ground to better serve the purposes of the army and the national process in general.