Colorado Guard, Jordan Strengthen Partnership Through Eager Lion 2026

FORT CARSON, Colo. - The Colorado Army National Guard hosted Eager Lion 2026 last month, marking the first time the exercise, which focuses on planning and coordination for counterterrorism, air defense, maritime security, cyber and disaster response, has been held in the United States.

Historically conducted in Jordan as U.S. Central Command's largest and most complex exercise in the Levant, Eager Lion took place Sept. 15-25 at the 168th Regional Training Institute at Fort Carson. The exercise is a cornerstone of the military relationship between U.S. Central Command and the Jordan Armed Forces.

It promotes cooperation and interoperability, builds functional capacity, enhances readiness and supports civil authorities, including critical national infrastructure protection, cyber defense, maritime security, operations in a chemically contaminated environment and integrated logistics.

Eager Lion 2026, the exercise's 12th iteration, brought together roughly 200 military personnel, including 165 U.S. service members and 40 Jordanian personnel. National Guard personnel from Colorado, Illinois, Kansas and Utah participated and trained alongside Jordanian counterparts.

U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William DiProfio, director of Joint Staff for the Colorado National Guard, highlighted the depth of shared operational experience built under the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. Established in 1993, the State Partnership Program pairs state National Guards with militaries from other nations to promote global security cooperation. Colorado and Jordan began partnering in 2004 and have forged enduring trust and personal bonds during the past 22 years.

"Our Airmen, Soldiers and Jordanian partners have shared best practices across aviation, field artillery, cyber defense, joint operations and tactical maneuver through hundreds of exchanges," DiProfio said. "We forged a shared operational culture built on mutual trust and common resolve."

Brig. Gen. Mahmud Al Farajat, the defense military and naval attaché for the Embassy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in Washington, D.C., emphasized the long-term strategic value of the training for Jordanian forces.

"Eager Lion represents a cornerstone and, indeed, a jewel of our military cooperation with the United States," Al Farajat said. "It provides an important opportunity to strengthen deterrence, enhance rapid response capabilities, improve crisis management and develop our ability to operate effectively across the theater of operations."

He added, "This exercise supports the ongoing transformation of the Jordan Armed Forces toward a more agile, integrated and capable force."