|
Jordan Military Cooperation with the United States
United States military assistance to Jordan began on a small
scale in 1950, but in 1957 the United States became Jordan's
principal source of equipment following the termination of the
British subsidy. A large-scale purchase of ground force equipment
in 1965 was followed in 1967 by orders for F-104 Starfighter
aircraft and support gear. After the disastrous losses of military
equipment during the June 1967 War, United States military aid,
most of which had been supplied on a credit basis, was shifted to
grant form. Additional purchases of American hardware were made
possible by massive postwar financing from friendly Arab states.
Although Jordanian forces played only a token role in the
October 1973 War with Israel, Arab losses renewed Hussein's
determination to expand and modernize Jordan's military
capabilities. An improved air defense system had the highest
priority. After a study of Jordan's air defense needs, the United
States Department of Defense recommended supplying Jordan a mixture
of American weapons, including the Improved Hawk SAM, the Vulcan
20mm radar-guided antiaircraft gun, and the Redeye shoulder-fired
missile. The proposal resulted in protracted negotiations in
Washington between the United States Congress and the executive
branch. The Israeli Embassy in Washington and American Jewish
organizations applied strong pressure on Congress to reject the
sale, arguing that the twenty-one Hawk batteries Jordan wanted
would reinforce the Soviet-supplied SAM capability of Syria, making
all of Israel vulnerable to the combined weapons coverage. Hussein
threatened publicly to withdraw the request and accept an offer of
comparable missiles from the Soviet Union. Inasmuch as the weapons
were to be paid for by strongly anticommunist Saudi Arabia,
however, Hussein was obliged to reject Moscow's offer. Ultimately
a compromise was reached under which the United States would
provide fourteen Improved Hawk batteries to be permanently emplaced
as defensive weapons in the Amman-Az Zarqa area and at airfields
and radar installations east and south of Amman. Final agreement
was reached on the US$540 million arrangement in September 1976.
Not only did the negotiations over the Hawk system prove
humiliating to Hussein, but also the system as finally negotiated
did not fully meet Jordan's need because of the limited coverage
afforded by the missiles and their extreme vulnerability at fixed
sites. Disagreement persisted over the scope and cost of other
United States weapons systems that Jordan could buy with funds
underwritten by other Arab countries. In 1979 Jordan sought to
acquire moderate numbers of F-16 fighter aircraft and approximately
300 M-60 tanks. The United States delayed in responding because of
a new policy designed to reduce the amount of weapons transfers to
Third World countries. A much reduced shipment of 100 M-60 tanks
was eventually made available to Jordan but without important
modern features such as night sights and advanced fire control.
Hussein accordingly turned to Britain for Chieftain tanks and
modernization kits for Jordan's existing Centurion tanks, and to
France for Mirage aircraft as substitutes for the F-16s.
In early 1984, President Ronald Reagan proposed selling 315
Stinger launchers and 1,600 missiles to Jordan but was forced to
withdraw the proposal because of continued congressional
opposition. Hussein's biting criticisms of American policy
contributed to the negative attitude in Congress. In 1985 the
administration put before Congress a new package valued at US$1.9
billion, which would have included 40 F-16s or F-20 aircraft, 300
advanced air-to-air missiles, 72 Stingers, and 32 Bradley infantry
fighting vehicles. The most controversial feature of the package
was a proposal to upgrade the existing fixed Hawk batteries by
converting them to mobile units and adding six new mobile Hawk
batteries.
Congress effectively blocked this transaction as well by
setting conditions on the Jordanian-Israeli peace process that
Hussein was unprepared to meet. In early 1986, the administration
suspended indefinitely its efforts to supply major systems to
Jordan. Military assistance has since been carried on at a pace
adequate to sustain existing readiness levels by providing
selective upgrading of equipment, together with training, spare
parts, and service, and help in building up ammunition stocks.
Close relationships continued to be maintained with the Jordanian
military in spite of differences over new equipment items. The
United States and Jordan expanded senior officer exchanges. The
United States has supplied technical assistance teams and
instructor training programs, and has developed specialized
training courses tailored to Jordanian needs. Joint military
exercises also have been held annually on Jordanian territory.
From 1950 through 1988, the United States furnished a total of
about US$1.5 billion in military aid, US$878 million in loans and
US$631 million in grants. The grant program amounted to US$26.5
million in FY 1988. For FY 1989, the administration proposed US$48
million in military sales credits but Congress approved only US$10
million. For FY 1990, the administration again requested US$48
million. The United States also planned to provide funds for
military training and education amounting to US$1.8 million in
fiscal year 1989. This money would enable a total of 452 Jordanian
military personnel to receive training or professional education in
military colleges in the United States during FY 1989.
Data as of December 1989
|
