MIKE MARTIN
The threat of terrorism, both internal and external, in the Middle East has created an urgent need to build the right special forces teams to counter it, the commander of the Royal Jordanian Air Force said at the show yesterday.
In an exclusive interview, Major General Prince Feisal told Flight Daily News: "The threat of terrorism may be a greater threat than all-out war which was what most nations were concerned with in the last millennium."
The higher profile of special forces and special operations will be the focus at Sofex 2002, scheduled for Amman in October. Prince Feisal said that the events of 11 September had given the a new urgency to Middle East nations' programmes to build better special forces capability, as well as heightened interest in Sofex.
"It is unfortunate that the tragic events of last year have focused a lot more attention on special forces and their capabilities," he says. "But when you raise the profile of something, obviously you attract the attention of exhibitors and participants.
""They are obviously looking at these issues and they recognise that only be talking with their counterparts in the Middle East will they be able to provide greater focus on special forces and special operations."
The high reputation enjoyed by the Jordanian special forces has made it a key partner for other Middle East countries.
"His Majesty the king is very keen to expand our relationship with anybody who asks for our help," said Prince Feisal. "We have worked with teams and helped other countries in the region in counter-terrorism work."
He said that the whole emphasis in modern military thinking was in ‘light operations' such as peace-keeping work. "We are involved in peace-keeping operations in other parts of the world. The UAE was involved in such work in Kosovo and is now bringing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. We are seeing a growing role and commitment to peace-keeping work."
The greater emphasis on specialist military work has resulted in huge interest in Sofex, he added. "We have had a lot of help from the Defence Export Services Organisation (DESO) which has been extremely proactive in giving advice to help ensure it is a success."
Source: Flight Daily News
