As the war in Gaza rages, the Biden administration has deployed a record number of U.S. troops to Jordan, a new report to Congress reveals. The troop buildup has not been previously reported.
There are now a record 3,813 American troops in Jordan, according to the White House’s war powers report to Congress released on June 7. That’s a 625 troop increase over December, with the number of soldiers and airmen exceeding the number at any time since the second Gulf War and the invasion of Iraq, a review of past war powers reports reveals.
The Biden administration has sought to keep quiet its close military ties to Jordan, with the White House national security council instructing State Department communications officials to avoid mentioning its military coordination with the country in particular, according to internal memos I’ve reviewed. When Iran fired missiles and drones at Israel in April, Jordan was a key partner in shooting them down, and Jordan even allowed Israeli planes to operate in Jordanian airspace. Jordan as a partner of Israel is a particularly sensitive issue, hence the desire on the part of Washington to keep talk of Jordan to a minimum.
It’s possible the increase in U.S. forces in Jordan is an attempt to compensate for thedrawdown of U.S. combat personnel in Iraq, following pressure from the Iraqi government for their withdrawal.
There are plenty of reasons the Biden administration would want to downplay its burgeoning military presence in Jordan. For one, it is home to over two million Palestinian refugees and a constant reminder to the Arab world of the suffering of the Palestinian people. Protests have rocked Jordan in recent months, opposing their government’s cooperation with the U.S. as it arms and assists Israel in the war. Even for authoritarian governments like Jordan, public opposition can be a concern if it is large enough.
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