Eager Lion is a two-week multinational military exercise held annually in Jordan since 2010. Organized by the U.S. Department of Defense,[1] the exercise revolves around troop deployments, chemical warfare, border security, command and control, cyber defense and battlespace management.[2] According to one source, the exercise "amounts to an outgrowth of the annual bilateral 'Infinite Moonlight' US-Jordan exercise that stretches back to the 1990s."[3]

Jordanian Armed Forces sniper.
U.S. Marines with Battalion Landing Team 1/6, Charlie Company, 2nd Platoon

18 countries participated in the exercise in 2015: Jordan, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Pakistan, the United States, Canada, Belgium, Poland, Australia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Lebanon, Iraq, and Yemen.[4] Eager Lion is now the largest U.S. military exercise in the Middle East, having surpassed Bright Star.[5]

Participants

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  •   Jordan
  •   United States
  •   United Kingdom
  •   United Arab Emirates
  •   Australia
  •   Greece
  •   Cyprus
  •   Iraq
  •   Saudi Arabia
  •   Qatar
  •   Bahrain
  •   Kuwait
  •   Canada
  •   Poland
  •   France
  •   Italy
  •   Egypt
  •   Pakistan

References

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  1. ^ "United States joins 17 nations for war games in Jordan".
  2. ^ "U.S., Jordan Partner in Eager Lion Exercise > U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE > Article View". www.defense.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-05-14.
  3. ^ "US, 18 other nations, wrap up Eager Lion military exercise in Jordan". Christian Science Monitor. 2012-05-29. ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2017-12-10.
  4. ^ "Eager Lion 2015 concludes with joint drill". 18 May 2015.
  5. ^ Arkin, William (May 18, 2012). "Eager Lion Now Supplants Bright Star as Largest U.S. Exercise in Middle East". William M. Arkin Online.