Colorado Army National Guard hosts first U.S. based Eager Lion exercise
The Colorado Army National Guard hosted Eager Lion 2026 at the 168th Regional Training Institute, Fort Carson, Colorado, Sept. 15–25, 2026. Historically held exclusively in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM) largest and most complex exercise in the Levant, this iteration marked the first time Eager Lion took place in the United States.
Eager Lion serves as a cornerstone of the military relationship between CENTCOM and the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF). It is designed to promote cooperation and interoperability, build functional capacity, enhance readiness, support civil authorities, including critical national infrastructure protection, cyber defense, maritime security, operations in a chemically contaminated environment, and integrated logistics.
Eager Lion 2026, the 12th iteration of the exercise, 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 were among those who participated in the exercise.
In this year’s iteration, U.S. service members trained alongside Jordanian counterparts during scenarios that focused on planning and coordination in counterterrorism, air defense, maritime security, cyber, and disaster response.
Reflecting on the bond between the two forces, 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 National Guard State Partnership Program.
“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,” said DiProfio. “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.”
Established in 1993, the State Partnership Program pairs state National Guards with militaries of other nations to promote global security cooperation. Colorado and Jordan began partnering in 2004, forging enduring trust and personal bonds for more than 22 years.
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