Page 61 - Cormorant Issue 20 2017

RSE 2 – Ways Visit to Jordan First Of cer Alex Cook RFA
Middle East whilst outlining the strategic importance of Jordan and its position within the region. This was followed by a discussion with Brigadier Macintosh who clari ed the myths pertaining to Loan Service whilst describing his operational priorities as a British Army Of cer fully immersed within the Jordanian Armed Forces. The previous brie ngs had already raised the historical issue of refugees into Jordan and it was therefore timely for Mr Barry Armstrong
to deliver an insightful brief on the subject on behalf on DfID. The nal lecture of the day was delivered by Father Nabil Hadaat, who described himself as a “very Christian Arab.” Father Hadaat discussed
a range of interesting subjects, including the multi- faith nature of Jordan, the strategic importance of Jordan’s stability at the axis of the Arab world and Jordan’s commitment to the ght against global terrorism. The day was summarised by Colonel Hedley Tomlyn, who gave an insightful description
of a day in the life of the UK’s Defence Attaché to Jordan. Sunday evening provided the opportunity to sample Amman’s varied selection of restaurants, bars and shisha cafes.
Monday saw the group travel to the Royal Jordanian National Defence College (RJNDC) at Madaba on the outskirts of Amman. Students were briefed on a wide range of topics by senior members of the Jordanian Directing Staff including the history and development of the college. The similarities between our own JSCSC and the RJNDC were immediately obvious with embedded UK of cers on-hand to discuss how the two colleges work together in order to continually improve professional military education. Brigadier Mohammed, a former ACSC student, then delivered an entertaining brief, encompassing everything from life in a foreign country, the importance of professional networking and his top-tips for ACSC survival.
The Ways module ensured the “ultimate school
trip award” with the inclusion of a cultural visit to
the Lost City of Petra. The opportunity to visit one
of the ‘Seven Wonders of the World’ was hugely appreciated with copious Indiana Jones impressions and an abundance of Facebook check-ins noted. On a more serious note, students observed the
importance of tourism revenues and the signi cant contribution which this makes to Jordan’s fragile economy.
With Petra ticked off their bucket lists, students made the long journey back through the desert to attend the Queen’s birthday celebrations at an evening reception at the British Embassy. The gracious invitation by HMA Edward Oakden allowed students to meet with both Jordanians and expatriates alike, discussing current national and regional issues whilst sampling a healthy amount of canapes and Ferrero Rocher. Further evidence of Defence Engagement was witnessed by the Jordanian Armed Forces Band being led by a British military bandmaster.
The nal day’s activities included a visit to the Royal Jordanian Airforce (RJAF) Headquarters, where
it became apparent that both the UK and Jordan share a number of common issues across defence. Jordan’s defence challenges were articulated by the Commander of the RJAF prior to an engaging Q&A session with his Chiefs of Staff. Students then paid their respects at a British military cemetery prior to making their way through the midday Amman traf c for the nal of cial serial of the visit. Awaiting us at the Jordanian Ministry of Defence was Prince Feisal, brother of King Abdullah II of Jordan. Prince Feisal delivered a stimulating and candid assessment of the challenges which Jordan faced prior to opening the oor to questions from the ACSC audience. A wide range of topics including economics, defence reform, refugees and international politics were discussed. An audience with Royalty is something which will always be remembered, but it was the level of honesty and openness which Prince Feisal afforded the audience which marked this out as the highlight of the visit.
Prior to departure, a number of students took the opportunity to visit the Dead Sea whilst the remainder soaked up some Jordanian sunshine, reviewed
their DRPs and took in some cultural sites around Amman. The RSE to Jordan was assessed as an enormous success and one which should certainly be included for the students lucky enough to qualify for the Ways module of future courses.
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IT IS A WELL-KNOWN ACSC fact that the Ways module is reserved for the upper echelon of the student body. It was therefore tting that
an element of the top thirty percent of this year’s students were rewarded with an exceptional 5-day visit to the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan.
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The Regional Security Exercise (RSE) visit was designed to expose students to an unfamiliar country where they could build a greater understanding of the UK’s regional strategic interests and witness Defence Engagement rst hand. Prior to departure, students received a King’s College country brief and a reading list amounting to several hundred pages. Once digested, students worked collaboratively to develop Defence Engagement Country plans which would be amended retrospectively (or completely re- written!) in light of in-country observations.
Armed with a plethora of knowledge from both
the Ways Core and elective modules, a group of Directing Staff, UK and international students set off for Amman on a spring Saturday afternoon. Arriving into Amman in the early hours of Sunday morning, the students grabbed a few hours sleep ahead of a busy day of brie ngs within the con nes of Amman’s plush Intercontinental Hotel.
Day one began with a brie ng by Her Majesty’s Ambassador (HMA) to Jordan, His Excellency Edward Oakden. This brie ng provided a comprehensive insight into the UK’s interests in the
The previous
brie ngs had already raised the
historical issue of
refugees...
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