CENTCOM Completes Exercise Eager Lion in Colorado

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) concluded Exercise Eager Lion 2026 on Sept. 24 at Fort Carson, Colorado. The two-week exercise included more than 200 military personnel from Jordan and the United States.

In the interview below, Brig. Gen. Mohammed Al-Maqdadi from the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) and U.S. Army Brig. Gen. William DiProfio from the Colorado Army National Guard discuss what the exercise accomplished.

Q: The State Partnership Program between Jordan and the Colorado National Guard has spanned over 22 years. How did training in Colorado strengthen the personal and professional bonds built over time?

Brig. Gen. Al-Maqdadi: Training directly with our counterparts here in Colorado strengthens our relationship by turning longstanding professional ties into practical, personal connections. Over more than 22 years, the State Partnership Program has created a strong foundation of trust and mutual understanding between the Jordanian Armed Forces - Arab Army and the Colorado National Guard. Training together allows us to exchange experience, understand each other's procedures, and build the professional relationships that are essential for effective cooperation.

Q: This was the 12th iteration of Eager Lion but the first hosted on U.S. soil, what has been the strategic value and operational advantage of bringing this bilateral training to Fort Carson, particularly for joint command post and cyber defense training?

Brig. Gen. DiProfio: Bringing Eager Lion to the United States for the first time demonstrates the strength and maturity of our relationship with the Jordanian Armed Forces. Training here at Fort Carson gave us an opportunity to operate together in a different environment and strengthen our ability to plan, communicate, and make decisions as a combined team. Whether we were working through command post operations, cyber defense, or disaster response, the value was enhancing interoperability. Every time we train together, solve problems together, and learn from one another, we strengthen the trust and readiness necessary to respond together when it matters.

Q: Jordan has a long history of hosting U.S. forces for Eager Lion. How did this reciprocal hosting enhance the mutual respect and camaraderie between forces?

Brig. Gen. Al-Maqdadi: Reciprocal hosting was a clear reflection of the depth of the Jordan-U.S. defense relationship. Jordan has welcomed U.S. forces to Eager Lion for many years, and conducting this exercise here in Colorado gave our forces the opportunity to experience each other's operating environments firsthand. This exchange strengthened mutual respect, built strong professional relationships, and reinforced our understanding that our partnership is based not only on training together, but also on shared professionalism, trust, and commitment.

Q: How did hosting Jordanian partners here in Colorado enhance overall total-force integration, especially with the active involvement of the Colorado and Illinois National Guard alongside active-duty personnel?

Brig. Gen. DiProfio: Eager Lion was a great example of the Total Force in action. It brought together active-duty personnel, National Guard members and our Jordanian partners around common training objectives. Colorado and Jordan have been partners in the State Partnership Program since 2004, and that relationship has been built through more than 500 military-to-military engagements. Bringing all of these organizations together at Fort Carson allowed us to build on that foundation, learn from one another, strengthen interoperability, and ultimately make each of our forces better prepared.

Q: Looking to the future, how does the success of this U.S.-hosted Eager Lion set a new benchmark for how forces will continue to adapt, innovate, and stand together against modern security challenges like cyber threats?

Brig. Gen. Al-Maqdadi: The success of a U.S.-hosted Eager Lion demonstrated our ability to adapt our cooperation at all levels. It gave our forces an opportunity to train across different domains, exchange expertise, and develop common approaches to emerging challenges, including cyber threats and counter terrorism and drug trafficking. Looking ahead, this experience provides a strong foundation for continued innovation, interoperability, and readiness while reinforcing the commitment of the Jordanian Armed Forces - Arab Army and U.S. forces to stand together.

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