Laith Al-jnaidi and Rania Abushamala
24 January 2026•Update: 24 January 2026
AMMAN, Jordan / ISTANBUL
Jordan’s King Abdullah II on Saturday directed the preparation of a comprehensive strategy and a clearly defined roadmap aimed at achieving a “structural transformation” of the army over the next three years, to enable it to confront rapidly evolving threats and changes.
The directive came in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti, according to a statement by the Royal Hashemite Court.
In the letter, the king said: “We direct you to devise a comprehensive strategy and a clear roadmap to achieve a structural transformation in the Armed Forces over the next three years, with the goal of enabling them to counter the current and future threats, as well as rapid changes and emerging challenges brought on by technological developments and expanding areas of operations.”
The king stressed the need to modernize the organizational structure of the armed forces to align with the requirements of combat across different operational environments.
He also called for integrating advanced technology at the core of military doctrine, directing that cyber defense and offense operations will “guarantee competitiveness, and employ drone and artificial intelligence technologies across every level of the Armed Forces’ units.”
He further urged the employment of unmanned systems technology and artificial intelligence across all levels of armed forces units.
On military manufacturing, the king instructed that the role of the Jordan Design and Development Bureau be reoriented to become “a hub for research, development, and manufacturing of advanced defence technology, in line with the latest global standards, and with the goal of meeting various national needs in this domain.”
The Jordan Design and Development Bureau is a military institution operating under the umbrella of the Jordanian Armed Forces, and is active in research, design, development, and manufacturing in the field of defense systems.
The aim of the directive is to ensure that the Jordanian army remains an institution capable of confronting non-conventional warfare and protecting the kingdom’s strategic centers of gravity.
The call came amid a turbulent regional environment marked by complex security challenges and rising prospects of military escalation, most recently, statements indicating signs that Israel may be seeking to launch an attack on Iran amid US threats toward Tehran.
