Freihat meets Iraqi counterpart, US commander

AMMAN — Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat on Sunday met with Commander of United States Central Command Gen. Joseph Votel and Chief-of-Staff of the Iraqi Army Gen. Othman Ghanmi to discuss the latest regional and international developments.

Discussions also focused on issues of concern to the armed forces of the three countries, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Also on Sunday, Freihat, in the presence of Votel and Ghanmi, attended a ceremony to hand over the US non-commissioned officer’s sword to a warrant officer of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF).

JAF’s Warrant Officer Salem Bani Mustafa said that the honour increases the responsibility to  serve the JAF in the best manner possible, so as to develop the leadership skills of non-commissioned officers.

The sword represents the most prestigious military protocol worldwide, and the Kingdom, represented by the JAF, is the first country to be honoured with the sword, according to Petra.

Meanwhile, the Royal 29 Mortars Battalion on Sunday carried out a joint drill with US forces, as part of the 2017 Eager Lion multinational military exercise.

The commander of the Jordanian battalion said that the exercise came after eight days of joint training, where participants received theoretical and practical training on telecommunication, mobility, loading and safety measures.

The commander of the US battalion said that Eager Lion is a series of scenarios that simulate quick reaction on conventional and non-conventional threats, adding that the drill was designed to further bolster military relations and coordination in response to present-day challenges.