An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

News | April 18, 2022

USMARCENT completes first of Intrepid Maven exercise series with Kingdom of Jordan

By Capt. Joshua Pena U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command

U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to 2nd Battalion, 24th Marine Regiment (2/24) and members of the 61st Quick Reaction Force Battalion and 77th Royal Jordanian Marine Battalion with the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) successfully completed exercise Intrepid Maven (IM) 22-1 aboard Camp Titin, Jordan, March 22. The engagement was the first iteration of the Marine Corps Forces, Central Command led (USMARCENT) IM exercise series designed to increase interoperability, strengthen enduring partnerships, enhance U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) readiness, and deter malign actors in the region.

The multi-day exercise allowed the U.S. Marines and Sailors with 2/24, a reserve battalion based in Chicago, to become fully immersed in bilateral training with our JAF partners. The exercise exchanged knowledge and tactics on the employment of ground infantry weapons, including the bilateral execution of rifle and machinegun live-fire.

“JAF’s valued partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps has facilitated an effective training environment to best build upon interoperability and mutual contribution to the region,” said Director of JAF Military Information Directorate Col. Mustafa Hiyari.

The IM exercise series is designed to be bilateral in nature, at the invitation of our regional partners, that incorporates USMC forces from home station units. The engagement scenario or structure can vary depending on the desired training objectives of the hosting partner and the available USMC forces ready for deployment. The series enables USMARCENT to enhance the Marine Corps’ contribution to the region while supporting U.S. Forces Central Command and our regional partners’ priorities. USMARCENT is planning for additional iterations of IM with other partners this year.

USMC forces who deploy in support of IM exercise series fall under the Deploy for Training (DFT) designed to match appropriate regional partner engagements with home station unit training requirements. The DFT construct provides our partners the flexibility and opportunity to enhance interoperability with USMC forces across a variety of subjects, military tactics, and fields of expertise.

“This critical exercise series will further unite us in skills and other mutual interests,” said U.S. Marine Corps LtCol. Dennis O’Donnell, Chief of Operations, USMARCENT, and the exercise officer in charge. “The JAF were amazing hosts and the engagement has made us more experienced and better trained.”

Since its established diplomatic relationship with the U.S. in 1949, the Kingdom of Jordan has been a strong strategic partner, contributing greatly to regional security and stability by hosting 26 partner nations and 70 training events collectively with the U.S. Armed Forces each year.

The IM exercise series is supported through planning by U.S. Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade (TF 51/5) stationed at U.S. Naval Support Activity, Bahrain. TF 51/5, a Joint Task Force-capable Headquarters, responds to crises and contingencies; coordinates, plans, and executes operations; conducts theater security cooperation; and advances emerging Naval concepts at sea, from the sea, and ashore in order to support CENTCOM, 5th Fleet, and MARCENT theater objectives.

Visual information products of IM 22-1 will be available on the USMARCENT Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) page at https://www.dvidshub.net/unit/MARCENT.

For queries pertaining to IM exercise series, please contact USMARCENT Communication Strategy and Operations Office at joshua.j.pena@usmc.mil.