Sunday 16 June 2013

Royal Marines Go Into Jordan – Some 350 Royal Marines are to be deployed to Jordan in the next few days.   The Marines are to come from 42 Commando RM (Plymouth) and from the RM Command and Control Group from the UK’s Amphibious Task Group (Portsmouth).    The lead British contingent is Lima Company, 42 Commando RM, which has deployed with full nuclear biological warfare equipment in case of any chemical attack on Jordan.

Exercise Eager Lion, the twelve (12) day will take place in the Jordanian desert and include field firing and rehearsing scenarios including air defence and humanitarian assistance.     More than 5,000 US Marines are in Jordan (from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Force), having landed by USN Assault Ships and troops from Britain, Bahrain, Canada, the Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Pakistan, Poland, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen will take part in the war games.

Coalition Special Forces” from the USA, Poland and the UK are also working with Jordanian Special Forces, [who are trained by the SAS], with elements of the RM Special Boat Service heading a hostage rescue exercise.   The RM Command and Control Group from Portsmouth includes Naval and Army staff and is headed by a (Army) Brigadier and a two star General, who usually deploy to co-ordinate and command amphibious landings.

Following the news a Syria has used gas against its own people has prompted the sudden dash to Jordan where it emerged that 300 US Marines and a PATRIOT anti-aircraft missile system have been deployed to northern Jordan having landed from three US Navy warships which have docked in Aqaba, the only deep water port in Jordan.

In August 2013, the Helicopter Carrier ILLUSTRIOUS is scheduled to sail on a major deployment, codenamed Exercise Cougar 13, with 650 Marines embarked for more “war games” in Sardinia and Turkey before landing in Jordan.     The ILLUSTRIOUS will dock off Aqaba with the ship’s escorts undertaking planned exchange training with Jordanian forces before sailing further on the Gulf.   No doubt the ILLUSTRIOUS with the necessary escorts could sail within days if required.

It will be recalled that in July 1917, T.E. Lawrence arranged a joint action with the Arab irregulars attacked the strategically located but lightly defended (by the Turks) town of Aqaba, making a surprise overland attack, Aqaba fell to Lawrence and the Arab forces.   Aquaba is in a water salient off the Red Sea.   After Aqaba, Lawrence was promoted to Major, and Allenby the new Commander-in-Chief of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force agreed to a new strategy for what was the start the (first) Arab Spring.   As they say the rest is history.

No comments:

Post a Comment