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US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Jordanian Armed Forces have launched exercise Eager Lion 2026 at Fort Carson in Colorado, marking the first time the United States has hosted the biennial military training event.
According to a CENTCOM statement, the two-week exercise brings together more than 200 military personnel from Jordan and the United States, including National Guard personnel from Colorado and Illinois, to deepen military cooperation between the two nations. "Our longstanding military-to-military ties with the Jordanian Armed Forces are stronger than ever," said Admiral Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander. "Working and training together will further strengthen our collective operational effectiveness and readiness." Now in its 12th iteration, Eager Lion 2026 features operational scenarios focused on planning and coordination in counterterrorism, air defence, maritime security, cybersecurity, and disaster response. CENTCOM highlighted the long-standing security relationship between Jordan and the state of Colorado, formed under the US National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program. Established in 1993 to foster international security ties, the program paired Colorado and Jordan in 2004, establishing an enduring defence partnership spanning more than two decades. https://x.com/CENTCOM/status/2099873590069940431?s=20 Earlier in the day, CENTCOM dismissed assertions from Irans Revolutionary Guards alleging that an oil tanker collided with a naval mine within the Strait of Hormuz. According to CENTCOM, the command authority responsible for American military deployments throughout the Middle East, the Panama-registered vessel had previously been targeted by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) last month and sustained a subsequent strike over the weekend. "IRGC claims a Panama-flagged oil tanker recently struck a naval mine in the Strait of Hormuz. This is FALSE," CENTCOM wrote on X. "The Panama-flagged oil tanker El Gaia was struck by an Iranian missile last month and rendered inoperable. This weekend, Iran struck the tanker again with a drone while the ship was in waters off the coast of Oman. The tanker is currently being towed by a regional partner," it added. CENTCOM further described the IRGC's "false claim" as "yet another example of their lies and intimidation attempts while they try to impede commercial vessels in the strait", highlighting ongoing disruptions within the crucial maritime trade route. Tehran implemented the transit restriction in March in response to joint US-Israeli military strikes executed on February 28, which initiated the current regional conflict. (ANI)
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