STAVANGER, Norway – In support of Jordan’s efforts towards enhancing its Simulation Training Centre, NATO Joint Warfare Centre (JWC) hosted a small delegation from the Jordanian Armed Forces in June.
The JWC’s lead planner for the visit, Computer-Assisted Exercise (CAX) Support Branch Head Phil Draper, said: “We have established successful cooperation with Jordan in the framework of NATO’s Defence Capacity Building (DCB) project under the leadership of NATO Headquarters’ International Staff Operations Division’s Defence Institution and Capacity Building Directorate. We demonstrated the JWC’s simulation approach to delivering NATO’s largest scale and most complex command post exercises.”
Draper added: “Our aim is to share best practices in the use of simulation to support exercises between Jordan and NATO, and assist the Jordanian Armed Forces in defining their simulation related requirements prior to moving to an industrialization phase.”
The visit programme at the JWC included a demonstration of the JWC’s C2 simulation capabilities, presentations on NATO CAX planning and execution, and a visit to the JWC’s TV studio.
Jordan is one of the seven countries within NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue, which is a partnership forum that aims to contribute to security and stability in NATO’s Mediterranean and North African neighbourhood and promote good relations and understanding among participating countries and NATO Allies.
Joint Warfare Centre
Jordan has been one of NATO’s most active partners since it joined the Mediterranean Dialogue in 1995. The DCB Initiative reinforces NATO’s commitment to partners and helps project stability by providing support to countries and organizations requesting assistance from NATO.
The visit programme at the JWC included a demonstration of the JWC’s command and control (C2) simulation capabilities, presentations on NATO CAX planning and execution, and a visit to the JWC’s TV studio where the guests had the opportunity to observe the Centre’s media training capabilities.
Immediately following the visit, the JWC and NATO Headquarters’ personnel travelled to Jordan to visit the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) Simulation Centre. Here, current Jordanian capabilities in the realms of constructive exercises, small arms training and collective live training – all supported by simulation – were demonstrated.
Additionally, the JWC and JAF personnel shared experience in simulation-supported training and exercises, and possible enhancements to both organizations’ processes and technologies were also discussed.
Phil Draper during a JWC-directed exercise
The JWC hopes to continue to make useful contributions to NATO Headquarters’ DCB endeavours in the region and to continue to build mutually beneficial relationships, such as the one it has now established with our partners in Jordan.