US Yet to Decide If Patriot Missiles Will Remain in Jordan After Exercise
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SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. may be leaving behind Patriot missiles in Jordan once the annual “Eager Lion” exercise in Jordan wraps up, according to reports. While the U.S. is sending a Patriot missile battery, as well as some F-16s for the exercise, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has yet to decide whether to leave the Patriots behind when the exercise ends.
On Wednesday, a Pentagon spokesman confirmed that Jordan has made a request of the U.S. that it keep the Patriot battery there, but Hagel has yet to review the request. So while the Jordanian request to keep the missile system could eventually be granted, it’s not yet a done deal.
About 12,000 forces from 19 countries will be participating in the annual exercise that begins June 9 and is supposed to last through June 20. After last year’s exercise, the U.S. left behind a contingent of military planners that for the past year have helped Jordan with its military, chemical response, and humanitarian planning in the wake of the fighting in Syria.
Col. Steve Warren said he did not know if Jordan had included the F-16s in their request. F-16 squadrons usually consist of 12 to 18 aircraft — a Defense official says about half that number will participate in the upcoming exercise.
Since January, the two U.S. Patriot batteries have been operating in southern Turkey as part of a NATO mission requested by that country. Germany and the Netherlands man four other Patriot batteries as part of that mission. These missile batteries in Turkey are often mentioned as potentially being used to help enforce a no-fly zone over northern Syria.
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