US to deploy Patriot missile battery in Jordan

The US intends to leave an advanced Patriot missile battery in Jordan after an upcoming international military exercise, an American military spokesman said Tuesday. During the regional exercise, dubbed Eager Lion, the American military also plans to use F-16 fighters, according to US Central Command spokesman Oscar Seara.

“In order to enhance the defensive posture and capacity of Jordan, some of these assets may remain beyond the exercise at the request of the government of Jordan,” Seara said.

US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel authorized the Patriot deployment over the weekend. He told the Washington Post that the US “has also deployed personnel to Jordan to assess military options and help the kingdom coordinate humanitarian efforts.”

Initially designed to shoot down aircraft, the surface-to-air Patriot system has been modified to also block incoming medium- or long-range missiles. Analysts speculate that Patriot batteries posted in Jordan could be used in the future to help enforce of a no-fly zone over neighboring Syria.

Earlier this year, the US, Germany and the Netherlands, with NATO approval, deployed multiple Patriot batteries in Turkey along its border with Syria. The missiles were for defense purposes only, to prevent spillover from Syria, NATO officials said, and would not be used offensively or to enforce a no-fly zone.

Eager Lion is a major training exercise what will feature roughly 15,000 troops from Britain, Bahrain, Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen.

According to the US Central Command, the exercise will promote cooperation among participating forces, build functional capacity, practice crisis management, and enhance readiness.

Similar, though smaller, exercises took place in Jordan in 2011 and 2012.