Jordan Military - 2024

Military and security forces

Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF): Royal Jordanian Army (includes Special Operations Forces, Border Guards, Royal Guard), Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian Navy

Ministry of Interior: Public Security Directorate (includes national police, the Gendarmerie, and the Civil Defense Directorate) (2024)

note: the JAF report administratively to the minister of defense and have a support role for internal security; the prime minister serves as defense minister, but there is no separate ministry of defense

Military expenditures

4.8% of GDP (2022 est.)
5% of GDP (2021 est.)
5% of GDP (2020 est.)
5.6% of GDP (2019 est.)
5.6% of GDP (2018 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 100,000 active-duty armed forces personnel (85,000 Army; 14,000 Air Force; 1,000 Navy); approximately 15,000 Gendarmerie Forces (2023)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the JAF inventory is comprised of a wide mix of imported equipment from Europe, some Gulf States, Russia, and the US; in recent years, the Netherlands and the US have been the leading suppliers (2023)

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service for men and women); initial service term is 24 months, with option to reenlist for up to 18 years; conscription was abolished in 1991, but in 2020 Jordan announced the reinstatement of compulsory military service for jobless men aged between 25 and 29 with 12 months of service, made up of 3 months of military training and 9 months of professional and technical training; in 2019, Jordan announced a voluntary 4-month National Military Service program for men and women aged between 18-25 years who have been unemployed for at least 6 months; service would include 1 month for military training with the remaining 3 months dedicated to vocational training in the sectors of construction and tourism (2023)

note: women comprised about 3% of the military as of 2023

Military - note

the JAF traces its origins back to the Arab Legion, which was formed under the British protectorate of Transjordan in the 1920s; it is responsible for territorial defense and border security, but also has a supporting role for internal security; the JAF’s primary concerns are terrorist and criminal threats emanating from its 230-mile border with Syria and 112-mile border with Iraq, as well as the potential impact of Israeli-Palestinian tensions; the terrorist group Hizballah and Iranian-backed militia forces operate in southwestern Syria near Jordan’s border while fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) terrorist group continue to operate in both Iraq and Syria; ISIS fighters have included Jordanian nationals, some of whom have returned to Jordan; meanwhile, individuals and groups sympathetic to Palestine have planned and conducted terrorist attacks in Jordan

the JAF participates in both bilateral and multinational exercises and has taken part in regional military operations alongside allied forces in Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen; in recent years, it has contributed to regional military operations alongside allied forces in Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen; it also participates in UN peacekeeping missions; the Army is organized and equipped for a mobile territorial defense against conventional threats and rapid responses to unconventional threats such as terrorism; border security forces are backed up by approximately 10 mechanized or armored brigades, plus a rapid reaction/high readiness airborne/ranger brigade; the Army also has a well-regarded special operations/counterterrorism group, and Jordan hosts an international special operations training center; the Air Force maintains about 50 US-made multirole fighter aircraft and dozens of attack helicopters; the Navy is a coastal defense force with some fast, gun- or missile-armed patrol craft for monitoring Jordan’s coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba

the US is a key security partner, and Jordan is one of the largest recipients of US military aid in the region; it cooperates with the US on a number of issues, including border and maritime security, arms transfers, cybersecurity, and counterterrorism; Jordan has Major Non-NATO Ally status with the US, a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation (2023)