Royal Jordanian Army

| anniversaries = June 10

The Royal Jordanian Army (Arabic: القوّات البرية الاردنيّة; ) is the ground force branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF). It draws its origins from units such as the Arab Legion, formed in the British Mandate of Transjordan in the 1920s. It has seen combat against Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973. The Army also fought the Syrians and the PLO during Black September in 1970.

This army started with an infantry company, cavalry company, machine guns unit, signal section and military band. In 1923, the total strength of the army, which was under the command of British Captain Frederick Gerard Peake, did not exceed 750 men. During 1930, the Arab Legion's strength was expanded to approximately 1,100. In 1931, a camel mounted desert mobile force was organized under the command of John Bagot Glubb to maintain security and order. This organization attracted numerous Bedouin volunteers. In 1933, the first mechanized force was formed. This element consisted of three vehicles and 120 men including the camel mounted desert mobile force. It undertook the responsibility of maintaining security, preventing the raids among the tribal groups and deterring the raids from the outside. By the eve of World War II, the legion had been expanded to a force of about 1,600 men. This legion took part in operations in Syria during the war. Independent companies were established in addition to a regular battalion, which was later expanded to become the 1st Brigade. In 1942, the 2nd battalion was formed, which later became the 2nd Brigade. The army continued its expansion in numbers and equipment.

King Hussein spared no pains at all to improve the army in terms of cadre and equipment, and in the early 1956 dismissed Glubb and Arab commanders assumed leadership posts in the army, most notably Habis Al Majali. In 1957, King Hussein ordered the establishment of the 4th infantry brigade and another of field artillery. In 1958, the heavy artillery was entered, In the same year, the Armoured Brigade was reorganized as an Armoured Division and, in 1961, it became the Armour Corps. During this period, the 40th Armoured Brigade, 60th Armoured Brigade and the Royal Guard Brigade were established.

When Kuwait declared its independence from the Commonwealth on 19 June 1961, the Iraqi government announced that Kuwait was an integral part of its national territories. Following the end of Operation Vantage, the Arab league formed the Arab Emergency Force to protect Kuwait with the participation of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Sudan, Jordan and Tunisia. The Jordanian participation included an infantry battalion reinforced by an anti aircraft platoon and returned home on 13 December 1963.

On 13 November 1966, in response to a Fatah land mine incident two days prior, Israeli forces raided the Palestinian village of Samu (in the Muhafazat of Hebron) with an infantry brigade reinforced by two tank battalions and supported by artillery and combat aircraft. The Jordanian army suffered 16 dead, as well as material damages. In 1965, King Hussein ordered the formation of five infantry brigades. The army was divided into two fronts: Western front and Eastern front, ten infantry battalions were concentrated on both fronts. In 1967, a new armoured brigade was established. The artillery brigade was recognized to have consisted of three field artillery battalions and an anti aircraft battalion.

After the 1967 war, the army was rearmed. In 1968, the army defended Jordan against Israeli troops that had invaded Jordanian territory in pursuit of Palestinian guerrillas – the Battle of Karameh. Palestinians claim a victory just for resisting Israeli troops; the Jordanians say that they forced the Israelis back; the Israelis say that they pulled back after hitting the Palestinians at which time they were bombed by the Jordanians. Daily clashes continued on the Jordanian Front after the 1967 war until the mid 1970s – the War of Attrition. The most famous one was the Battle of Karameh. In 1968, Israeli forces crossed the border and advanced on the town of Karameh. The Jordanian army mobilized and a battle broke out between the Jordanian army and the IDF. The Israeli forces retreated after a heavy bombardment.' September 1970 is known as Black September in Arab history. In September 1970, King Hussein moved to quash an attempt by armed Palestinian insurgents to overthrow his monarchy. The violence resulted in civilian casualties on both sides. Armed conflict lasted until July 1971 ending only when remaining Palestinian insurgents were surrounded in the Ajloun Jarash mountains, finally surrendered to the Jordan army and were expelled from the country.' In the 1973 Yom Kippur War, the 40th Armoured Brigade was sent to the Syrian front.

Since the major reorganisation 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 covers both Israel and Syria and the 4th Mechanized Division deployed from the 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 any internal disturbances. 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 crown), and at 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."

The army's organizational structure was traditionally based on two armoured divisions and two mechanized divisions. These have been transformed into a lighter, more mobile forces, based largely on a brigade structure and considered more capable of rapid reaction in emergencies. Due to the critical position of Jordan (sandwiched between Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Israel), Jordan maintains a strong defensive army, with four regional commands, the Northern command, the Central Command, the Eastern Command and the Southern Command. As of August 2004, the army was reported to be 88,000 strong, and the Northern Command is reported to consist of (2 mech, 1 infantry, 1 artillery, 1 AD brigade), the Southern Command (1 armd, 1 infantry brigade), the Central Command (1 mech, 1 lt. inf, 1 arty, 1 AD brigade), the Eastern Command (2 mech, 1 arty, 1 AD brigade), and a strategic reserve (1 Royal armoured division with 3 armd, 1 arty, 1 AD brigades). An armoured division has become the core element of a strategic reserve. Each command is controlled by its Field General, but all of the commands are under the King of Jordan's control. Currently Royal Jordanian Army is restructuring its armoured units, Challenger 1 MBTs equipping four battalions will be replaced by 80 Leclerc donated from UAE and 80 upgraded second hand Italian Centauro 105mm 8x8 Mobile Gun Systems by two battalions each, 75 German Marder 1A3 infantry fighting vehicles will replace YPR 765s in two infantry battalions, while the M60A3s will be upgraded and remain in service in four battalions supporting mechanized infantry brigades.

His Majesty King Abdullah II is the Supreme Commander of the Jordanian Armed Forces. This authority is vested in the king by the Jordanian Constitution of 1952. He exercises the right to appoint and dismiss all members of the High Command of Jordan's Armed forces, and has the authority to exercise command and control over all units of the armed forces.

The Jordanian Army has Four Regional Commands (Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern), Quick Reaction Force Brigade, Special Forces Group and Special Royal Guard Command.

Number Unit Type Equipment Notes 8 Tank Battalion Leclerc, M60A3 IFCS, B1 Centauro, M88A1 ARV, M577A2, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series Two battalions per Armoured Brigade, One battalion per Mechanized Brigade (4 Btn. M60A3 IFCS). 20 Mechanized Infantry Battalion (APC) YPR 765, M113A2MK 1J, M577A2, YPR 806, Humvee, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks 1 Wheeled Infantry Battalion (MRAP) RG33L MRAP, Humvee, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks Royal Guard 3rd battalion subordinate to 60th Armored Brigade, only wheeled Battalion in JAF. 2 Armored Infantry Battalion (IFV) Marder 1A3, M577A2, Humvee, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series Both Battalions subordinate to 40th Armored Brigade 11 Border Guard Battalion MRAP, Humvee, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks four battalions per Border Guard Brigade, two battalions in Border Guard Group, one battalion in Central Command 3 Special Mission Battalion Saxon APC, Humvee, Toyota pickups, Al Tha'lab LRPV, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks 15th, 16th, 20th Special Mission Battalions, subordinated to Special Royal Guard Command 3 Rapid Intervention Battalion (QRF) MRAP, Humvee, Toyota pickups, Al Tha'lab LRPV, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks 61st Raiders Battalion, 81st & 91st QRF battalions under MbZ Quick Reaction Force Brigade 3 Special Forces Battalion (SFG) Humvee, Al Tha'lab LRPV, GMC Suburban, AL Jawad MKIV, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series 71st Special Battalion CT, 101st Special Battalion Spec. Ops., Defense & protection Battalion under King Abdullah II Special Forces Group 10 Self Propelled Artillery Battalion M109A2 Howitzer, M113A2, M577A2, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks Two to Four battalions per Command Artillery. 2 Heavy Self Propelled Artillery Battalion M110A2 Howitzer, M113A2, M577A2, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks After JAF 2017 reform, only two battalions remained in service (One battalion each in Central & Northern Command). 2 Mobile Mortar Battalion RG 31 Agrab Mk2 Mortar, Humvee, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks After JAF 2017 reform, two Mobile Mortar battalions were established. 1 Field Artillery Company M119A2 Howitzer, Humvee, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series 2 Rocket Artillery Battalion HIMARS, WM 120 MLRS, Humvee, M577A2, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks 28th MLRS (WM 120) Battalion and 29th MLRS (HIMARS) Battalion 1 Target Acquisition Battalion TPQ 36, TPQ 37, COBRA COunter Battery RAdar, Humvee, M577A2, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks 11 Field ADA Battalion Strela 10, ZSU 23 4 Shilka, 9K38 Igla, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks Two battalions per AD Group, four battalions in the 4th AD Brigade, Special AD Battalion subordinate to Royal Guard Command. 4 Military Police Group Humvee, Toyota land cruiser Northern, Central, Southern, Capital Military Police Groups 5 Engineer Battalion M113A2, Armoured Tracked Bulldozer (CAT D6T, D7G/R, D8R, D9, Komatsu D155A), Wheeled Bulldozer (CAT 924H, 966C/D/F/G/H, Komatsu WA300 1, WA320, WA380 3A, W470 3), excavators, graders (CAT 12G, 120M), dump trucks, Backhoe loaders, loaders, M58 MICLIC, Aardvark JSFU, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks, Combat Dozer UDK1 and Bomb disposal robots. One Engineer Battalion per Command and General Support Engineering Battalion 5 Supply & Transport Battalion FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks, Fuel Tankers, Toyota Trucks and many other vehicles. One Supply & Transport battalion per Command. 5 Command Communication Group M577A2, M113A2, MRAP, Humvee, FMTV, Navistar 7000 series, DAF Military Trucks One Group per Command, one Group for Army Headquarter. 4 Medical Support Group M577A2 Ambulance, M113A2 Ambulance, HMMWV M997 Ambulance, Toyota Land Cruiser Ambulance, Mobile Field Hospitals on trucks One Medical Support Group per command. 5 Maintenance Group M113A2, M88 Recovery Vehicle, M578 Light Recovery Vehicle, AL Monjed ARV, Chieftain ARV, YPR 806, M109 Van, M35 Trucks, M800 & M900 Trucks, DAF Military Trucks One Maintenance Group per command. 5 Administrative Transport Group One Administrative Transport Group per command. 1 AFV Transporter Group Heavy Equipment Transport System Used to transport heavy equipment and armoured units. 1 Main Transportation GroupsFMTV, Fuel Tankers, Water Tankers, Toyota Trucks and many other vehicles. 1 Electricity & Water Group 1 Electronic Warfare Group 1 Chemical Support Group

The present day Jordanian Army is equipped with mainly Western (US and British) supplied weapons. The Jordanian Army is equipped with a mix of British and American tanks, including the Al Hussein, Khalid and M 60 Phoenix. The older Centurion tank and M 48A5 series are phased out, as the Challenger and M 60A3 undergo further upgrades. Current projects carried out by Jordan Design and Development Bureau (JODDB) include integration of the Phoenix digital fire and control system and a revised turret for the M 60A3 (featuring ERA of unknown origin) along RUAG L50/52 Smooth bore Compact Gun to replace the Rifled 120mm L15A1 and 105mm L7/M68 gun of the Challenger 1 and M 60A3 respectively. The Projects have also been offered for export and existing M 60 users such as Egypt or Saudi Arabia have shown interest in KADDB. The M113A2MK 1J remains a standard APC and are being supplanted by AIFV and local vehicles, including the MAP II and Al Temsah (Crocodile, an APC conversion of a Centurion tank chassis). 24–28 AH 1S/F 'Cobra' equip Army aviation and are equipped with TOW II ATGW and capable of night time operations since been upgraded. Earlier the Bofors 40 mm gun was also used. Personal Equipment includes the US supplied M 16 rifles (mainly A2 and some A3/A4), M 4A1, Taiwanese T65 assault rifles and T86 carbines, Browning HP automatic pistols; however, some units utilise the relatively uncommon Beretta Italian SS70/223 (the standard carbine of the Public Security Department and Police Force). The M 60 and FN MAG are carried as the GPMG. The Badia forces generally carry the M 14 on camel back.

The military ranks of Jordan are the military insignia used by the Jordanian Armed Forces.

The rank insignia for commissioned officers for the army, navy and air force respectively.

The rank insignia for enlisted personnel for the army, navy and air force respectively.