Special to WorldTribune.com

AMMAN — Jordan, which is hosting 1,000 U.S. troops and tens of thousands of Syrian refugees and fighters preparing to enter Syria, has expressed dismay over delays in U.S. arms exports.

The United States has some 1,000 troops — part of what has been called
U.S. Central Command Forward, Jordan. The unit, based in Amman, was designed
to coordinate with Jordan’s military as well as the State Department and
U.S. Agency for International Development.

“You’re here to help us principally partner with our Jordanian
teammates, to ensure and assure them that in a very volatile region, at a
very critical time in their history, they can count on us to continue being
their partners,” Dempsey told U.S. troops in Jordan.

“You’re also here to help senior leaders of the U.S. military to understand the issues that are
cascading through this region.”

Officials said the Hashemite kingdom has relayed its concern over
repeated delays in the order of U.S. weapons and combat equipment. They said
the equipment included military platforms and reconnaissance systems pledged
by the administration of President Barack Obama nearly two years ago.

“They have voiced frustration with our foreign military sales process,” Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said.

In a briefing on Aug. 14, Dempsey did not identify the delayed defense exports to Jordan. But he acknowledged that the delays were hampering Jordan’s efforts to improve security amid the civil war in neighboring Syria.

“It’s [U.S. arms export process] deliberate because we tend to deliver a product that’s sustainable over time and actually produces the capability that we advertise,” Dempsey said.

Over the last few years, Jordan has ordered U.S. military surplus as
well as advanced weapons, including the AIM-9X air-to-air missile. The
AIM-9X was meant to be installed on Jordan’s fleet of some 50 F-16
multi-role fighters.

“We’re very digital and they’re [Jordanians] very analog,” a U.S.
military officer in Jordan said.

Dempsey said Jordan would mark a priority in any U.S. effort to
accelerate arms deliveries. He said the kingdom was one of “those countries
that are under such pressure here, and who are such close partners.”

Jordanian King Abdullah relayed an arms shopping list
to Dempsey, said to have included reconnaissance aircraft. The Joint Chiefs
chairman said determining Jordan’s military requirements was part of his
mission to the kingdom, which hosts 560,000 Syrians who fled the civil war.

“I came over here to, literally, ask him, ‘What can we do?’ ” Dempsey
recalled. “And he gave me a list of things and I’ll carry those back.

  AIM-9X air-to-air missiles, F-16 multi-role fighters, Gen. Maritn Dempsey, Jordan heats up; King anxious over delays in U.S. arms exports, King Abdullah