Jordan THE ARMED FORCES
Composed of both regular or career personnel and conscripts,
the armed forces in 1988 had an active-duty strength estimated at
85,300 officers and enlisted personnel. Included in this total were
an army of 74,000, an air force of 11,000, and a naval element of
300. The naval force, with a coast guard-type mission, was
organizationally part of the army. The air force, which enjoyed
high prestige arising in part from Hussein's avid personal interest
in aviation, had semi-autonomous status.
Command Structure
Figure 14. Organization of National Defense, 1989
Article 32 of the Constitution states that "the king is the
Supreme Commander of the Army, Naval, and Air Forces." The words
here have a connotation similar to commander in chief as applied to
the president of the United States. King Hussein has, however,
generally exercised close control over the armed forces and has
even assumed direct command of the army on many occasions. The king
has the constitutional right to declare war, conclude peace, and
sign treaties. The declaration of a state of emergency may be made
by decision of the Council of Ministers and is promulgated by royal
decree when required to "ensure the defense of the realm." In such
situations, the country's ordinary laws are suspended. As of
mid-1989, Jordan had been formally in a state of martial law since
1967, enabling the king to legislate by the issuance of decrees.
Broad policy issues relating to security were decided by the
king, advised by a small circle of officials and personal
associates. These included his brother, Crown Prince Hasan, senior
palace officials, and the prime minister. The post of minister of
defense customarily had been held by the prime minister. The
Ministry of Defense had mainly administrative functions, including
logistics, mobilization, conscription, and preparation of the
defense budget. The operational commander of the armed forces was
theoretically responsible to the minister of defense, but in
reality the minister did not issue directives of an operational
nature unless they had the king's approval. The commanding officer
of the armed forces had invariably been a confidant of the king and
was generally a leading member of a prominent bedouin clan. Until
he was appointed a ranking palace official--chief of the royal
court--in late 1988, Field Marshal General of the Army Ash Sharif
Zaid ibn Shakir, a cousin of the king, had been commander in chief
for more than twelve years. Zaid ibn Shakir's family had always
been close to the royal family, and Zaid ibn Shakir himself had
been personally linked with Hussein throughout his military career.
In addition to his high palace position, he also filled a newly
created post of adviser to the king on national security. The new
position implied that Shakir would retain considerable influence
over military policies.
Operational command of the armed forces was assumed by the
chief of staff, Lieutenant General Fathi Abu Talib, after the
departure of Zaid ibn Shakir. It was expected that the title of
commander in chief of the armed forces, would be eliminated.
Accordingly, the senior military commander under the king would
henceforward bear the title of chief of staff of the armed forces.
The chief of staff presided over a headquarters in Amman known
as the Armed Forces General Command. Subordinate to him were the
air force commander and chiefs of staff for personnel,
intelligence, operations, and administration, corresponding roughly
to the G-1, G-2, G-3, and G-4 functional sections of the general
staff under the United States system. These positions were normally
held by officers of major general rank
(see
fig. 14). By
legislation enacted in 1983, Jordan was divided into eight military
regions corresponding to the eight governorates, although it was
not clear how these regions fitted into the overall military
command structure
(see
fig. 1).
The commander of the semi-autonomous Royal Jordanian Air
Force-- subordinated to the chief of staff--derived some logistical
support from the army and carried out a degree of policy
coordination with the principal officers of the Armed Forces
General Command staff. The air force, however, had a separate
headquarters at King Abdullah Air Base near Amman. The headquarters
had its own staff for the specialized operations, training,
logistic, and other requirements of the air force.
Data as of December 1989
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