Prince Feisal opens Special Operations Forces conference

AMMAN — Deputising for His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), HRH Prince Feisal on Monday opened the Middle East Special Operations Commanders Conference (MESOC).

The conference, titled "Hybrid Warfare at Grey Zones — the Changing Operational Environment", precedes the Special Operations Forces Exhibition (SOFEX) 2018 scheduled to kick off Tuesday under Royal Patronage at the King Abdullah I Airbase, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. 

The conference, which saw the participation of 600 defence ministers, commanders-in-chief, senior special operation teams, ground and air forces from the region, in addition to a number of decision-makers and strategists specialised in national security, focused on topics related to defence, special operations and national security industries.

During the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Freihat said that the JAF, under directives from His Majesty King Abdullah, has begun implementing a series of five-year plans to restructure its forces' formation.

The plans aim to enhance capabilities and efficiency of the forces in order to deal with current and future challenges, Freihat said, adding that they also seek to improve the defence capabilities to face hybrid warfare and grey zone conflicts, which require "focusing on efficiency, skills, training, and partnerships with brotherly countries".

The commander-in-chief outlined the "modern" challenges of war operations, especially cyber operations, as well as funding, tactical and technical issues, among others.

In a separate press conference, SOFEX Director Amer Tabaa said that the exhibition will host 750 participants from 62 countries.

The event represents the biggest defence exhibition focused on special operations and national security in the Middle East and North Africa, Tabaa said, noting that it showcases all equipment and machinery of participating countries used by special operations, peacekeeping and security forces, in addition to defence facilities and field training. 

Over the past 22 years, SOFEX has been witnessing a growing success, Tabbaa said, noting that this three-day exhibition showcases the latest equipment, technologies and innovations in the fields of special operations, national security and defence industries, with the participation of King Abdullah II Design and Development Bureau.

On the sidelines of the conference, Freihat met with his counterparts of Croatia, Guinea, Mexico and Greece, in addition to chairman of the Pakistani Heavy Industries Taxila Group. Freihat discussed with them means of enhancing cooperation in military fields.