US embassy cable - 03AMMAN7974

UNCLAS AMMAN 007974 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MAP 
SUBJECT: COUNTRY TEAM ASSESSMENT FOR JORDANIAN ARMED FORCES 
(JAF) REQUEST FOR ELECTRONIC WARFARE EQUIPMENT 
 
 
1.  ON 5 MARCH 2003 JAF SUBMITTED A LETTER OF REQUEST (LOR) 
FOR A LETTER OF OFFER AND ACCEPTANCE (LOA) FOR ELECTRONIC 
WARFARE EQUIPMENT.  THE HIGH FREQUENCY JAMMING SYSTEM AND THE 
THREE-STATION DIRECTIONAL FINDING (DF) SYSTEM WERE BOTH 
DETERMINED NOT TO BE RELEASABLE TO JORDAN WITHOUT REVIEW AND 
APPROVAL BY THE INTER-AGENCY.  IN A MEMO DATED 12 SEPTEMBER 
2003, THE DIRECTOR FOR SECURITY COOPERATION INTEGRATION 
PROVIDED AN INFORMAL OPINION ON THE RELEASABILITY OF THE 
ELECTRONIC WARFARE EQUIPMENT. 
 
2.  THE HIGH FREQUENCY JAMMING SYSTEM THE JORDANIAN ARMED 
FORCES HAS REQUESTED WOULD BE CAPABLE OF JAMMING 2-30 MHZ IN 
SPOT, BARRAGE AND SWEEP MODES WITH AN OUTPUT POWER OF 500 
WATTS. 
 
3.  THE REQUESTED DIRECTIONAL FINDING SYSTEM CONSISTS OF 
THREE STATIONS WITH THE FOLLOWING SPECIFICATIONS: FREQUENCY 
RANGE OF 20 MHZ )3 GHZ; DIRECTIONAL FINDING FOR FREQUENCY 
HOPPING, BURST, GSM AND FIXED; HIGH SPEED SPECTRUM SCANNING; 
GPS SYSTEM; DF ACCURACY TO 1 RMS; AND A SCANNING SPEED OF 25 
GHZ PER SECOND. 
 
4.  THE EMBASSY COUNTRY TEAM RECOMMENDS THAT THE U.S. 
GOVERNMENT APPROVES RELEASE OF THE HIGH FREQUENCY JAMMING 
SYSTEM AND THE THREE-STATION DIRECTIONAL FINDING (DF) SYSTEM 
TO THE GOVERNMENT OF JORDAN FOR PROCUREMENT THROUGH THE 
FOREIGN MILITARY SALES PROGRAM. 
 
 
 5.  THE HASHEMITE KINGDOM OF JORDAN PLAYS A PIVOTAL ROLE IN 
THE CONTINUED PEACE OF THE REGION AND MERITS FURTHER U.S. 
ASSISTANCE.  THE SYSTEMS IN QUESTION WILL ENABLE JORDAN TO 
DEFEND ITS BORDERS BETTER BY INTERCEPTING SIGNALS AND 
PINPOINTING THE LOCATION OF SUSPECTED TERRORISTS OR SMUGGLERS 
WHO MAY BE ATTEMPTING TO TRANSPORT WEAPONS AND EXPLOSIVE 
DEVICES ACROSS JORDAN'S BORDERS AND BY JAMMING THE 
COMMUNICATION SIGNALS OF SUSPECTED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS 
OPERATING ON OR NEAR JORDAN'S BORDERS. 
 
6.  JORDAN IS A KEY PLAYER IN THE GLOBAL WAR ON TERROR (GWOT) 
AND THE RELEASE OF THE ELECTRONICS WARFARE EQUIPMENT WILL 
IMPROVE JORDAN'S ABILITY TO COMBAT AND DETER TERRORISM. THE 
MORE CAPABLE JORDAN IS IN PROTECTING AND SECURING ITS 
BORDERS, THE MORE EFFECTIVE JORDAN,S EFFORTS WILL BE IN 
DETERRING AGGRESSION AND ENHANCING THE STABILITY OF OTHER 
COUNTRIES IN THE REGION. 
 
7.  THE JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT CONFIRMED TO THE EMBASSY COUNTRY 
TEAM ITS INTENT TO PROVIDE THESE ITEMS WITH THE SAME DEGREE 
OF SECURITY AS THE U.S. WOULD PROVIDE.  IN THE PAST JORDAN 
HAS BEEN A TRUSTWORTHY CUSTODIAN OF SIMILAR SENSITIVE UNITED 
STATES GOVERNMENT TECHNOLOGY.  THE COUNTRY TEAM STRONGLY 
BELIEVES THAT THIS WILL CONTINUE. 
 
8.  WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE SIGNIFICANT NEGATIVE REACTION FROM 
ANY REGIONAL STATE, INCLUDING ISRAEL OR SAUDI ARABIA, IN 
RESPONSE TO THE GOJ ACQUISITION OF THE ELECTRONIC WARFARE 
SYSTEM.  THE REGIONAL COUNTRIES SHARE A MUTUAL INTEREST IN 
SEEING THAT JORDAN,S MILITARY MAINTAINS OR INCREASES ITS 
DEFENSIVE CAPABILITIES. 
 
9.  THE PROPOSED ACQUISITION WILL NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE 
THE FORCE STRUCTURE OF THE JORDANIAN ARMED FORCES. 
 
10.  THE SYSTEMS WOULD BE FUNDED BY FOREIGN MILITARY 
FINANCING (FMF) AND WILL HAVE NO IMPACT ON THE JORDANIAN 
ECONOMY. 
 
11.  THE MANAGERS OF THE SYSTEMS HAVE BEEN TRAINED IN THE 
UNITED STATES ON THE SAME SYSTEMS.  THIS WILL NOT PRECLUDE 
THEM FROM SEEKING ADDITIONAL TRAINING IN THE UNITED STATES OR 
IN JORDAN AS A PART OF A FOREIGN MILITARY SALES CASE. 
 
12.  WE ARE UNAWARE OF ANY ALLEGATIONS OF GROSS VIOLATIONS OF 
HUMAN RIGHTS BY THE JORDANIAN ARMED FORCES THAT WOULD 
PROHIBIT RELEASE OF THESE ITEMS. 
 
13.  POC FOR THIS ACTION IS MAJ W. MARK HUNTHROP, USA, AT 
011-962-6-592-0101, EXT. 2545 OR AT WHUNTHROP@SAN.OSD.MIL. 
 
BT# 
NNNN 
 



End Cable Text 
 
Kerry A Duggan  01/18/2006 10:49:06 AM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results 
 
 
Recipient/Profile Information 
Cable Recipients: 
- No Recipients - LMDS Profiles/Office Symbols: 
 DAO 
POL 
ECON 
DCM 
MAP CableXpress Folders: 
  - No Folders -