By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
KABUL, Afghanistan, April 22, 2012 –
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met today
with his counterpart in Jordan’s capital of Amman before flying here for the
second leg of an overseas trip.
The chairman and Lt. Gen. Mashal
al-Zaben, Jordan’s defense chief, discussed regional security issues.
“Jordan is one of our most important
non-NATO allies, and they’ve been actively involved with us in Afghanistan,”
Dempsey told American Forces Press Service during the flight to Kabul. The
Jordanian military has contributed to the reconstruction, counterterrorism,
special operations and medical efforts in Afghanistan, he noted.
“So they’ve really been very important
partners in that,” the chairman said.
Jordan and the United States have an
enduring partnership that includes exercises and exchanges, the chairman said,
citing the upcoming Exercise Eager Lion 12 as an example. The exercise will
bring together more than 8,000 participants from more than 15 countries over
five continents. Its focus is to strengthen military-to-military relationships
of participating partner nations through a joint, whole-of-government,
multinational approach, Dempsey’s spokesman, Marine Corps Col. David Lapan,
said yesterday in Amman.
Such exercises are a good fit with the
new U.S. strategy, the chairman pointed out, helping to build partners on the
basis of capabilities and common interests.
In his meeting with Zaben, Dempsey said,
the two military leaders also discussed the Jordanian perspective on the
situation in neighboring Syria.
Upon arriving in Amman yesterday, the
chairman had a series of meetings with U.S. Embassy officials and took time to
meet informally with service members stationed in Amman.
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