As for the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces – the Arab Army, it bears a highly complex responsibility in translating this vision into executable military capability. The importance of the General Command is not only evident in managing field operations, but also in assessing threats, setting priorities, allocating resources, developing combat doctrine, and building a command and control system capable of making decisions at the right time. A wrong military decision may cost more than the confrontation itself, especially when military considerations overlap with political and diplomatic calculations.
Therefore, one of the most important criteria for the success of the Jordanian military leadership is its ability to achieve deterrence without draining the state, and to maintain readiness without turning the country into a state of permanent mobilization. This is a difficult equation managed through experience, discipline, and a precise reading of the balance of power.
Perhaps the northern and eastern borders provide a clear example of this shift. Drug and arms smuggling is no longer just a traditional criminal activity, but has become a complex threat in which organized crime networks overlap with armed groups and transnational financial interests. It is a mistake to treat it as a mere border control problem; because what happens on the borders may later turn into a social or security crisis within cities and villages. Therefore, the success of the Armed Forces in thwarting smuggling operations represents the first line of defense for society, not just the protection of the geographical line separating countries.
Internally, the importance of the General Intelligence Directorate and the Public Security Directorate lies in their ability to deal with threats that differ in nature from direct military threats. Terrorism, for example, does not always start with weapons; it may start with inflammatory rhetoric, a recruitment network, secret funding, or the exploitation of a turbulent social situation. Therefore, the efficiency of security work is measured by the ability of institutions to connect and analyze information, detect risks early, and thwart them within the provisions of the law, without damaging the trust between the citizen and the state.
As for the humanitarian role of the Jordanian Armed Forces, it deserves a reading that goes beyond the moral dimension alone. The Jordanian field hospitals in Gaza, relief and airdrop operations, and participation in international peacekeeping forces reveal the military institution's ability to operate outside the traditional combat environment. This capability requires planning, medical and logistical supply, international coordination, and precise risk management.
I believe that the true value of the Jordanian military leadership lies in its realization that power is not measured only by what a state can do to its adversaries, but by what it can prevent its adversaries from doing to it. Jordan, under the leadership of His Majesty King Abdullah II, and through the efforts of the General Command of the Jordanian Armed Forces – the Arab Army, and the security services, has managed to maintain the cohesion of its institutions amidst a highly dangerous regional environment. This does not mean that the dangers have ended, or that our system is immune to challenges, but rather that the state possesses institutional experience worth building upon. The greatest thing the Arab Army and the security services offer Jordan is not the spectacle of power when it is used, but the reality that this power, when managed with wisdom and competence, makes its use less necessary, and preserves the state's sovereignty, the citizen's security, and the nation's future.
Lawyer and Legal Expert
yazan.haddadin@haddadinlaw.com
