SECFRON 2 – Support for the Jordanian Security and Defence Forces

Over the last decade, Jordan has faced a number of security challenges, with a growing threat along its eastern borders. This is in particular due to the instability caused by the rise of the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

In 2016, the Kingdom was the victim of deadly attacks, with the assassination of six Jordanian border guards by a car bomb. To address the deterioration of its security situation, Jordan has adopted a strategy to strengthen border security, based on close cooperation with France and the European Union.

The town of Ruwaishid, 70 km from the Iraqi border, has been identified as a strategic location for supplying and refuelling security agencies and defence forces. The Jordanian authorities want to turn this town into a logistics hub, with a central role for both security operations and humanitarian aid. Indeed, refugees often take this route during wars or serious political turmoil.

Phase 1: Establish the basis for an effective security response 

The “Reinforcing Jordan’s Capabilities at the Eastern Border” (SECFRON) project was implemented by Expertise France between 2019 and 2021, with financing from the European Union. It has:

• Provided the Jordanian authorities with capabilities to respond swiftly to any humanitarian crisis or security threat at the borders with Iraq and Syria
• Improved the sustainability of the civil-military operations conducted in the area

The project was based on two lines of action:

• The installation of facilities and equipment in Ruwaishid (Mafraq Governorate)
• Training for Jordanian security and defence forces in civil-military operations and logistics 

These efforts have helped improve crisis management, especially in cases where a crisis may generate an unexpected inflow of refugees.

Phase 2: Continue to structure the logistics hub in Ruwaishid

The logistics hub in Ruwaishid was delivered to the Jordanian armed forces in 2021. However, it required additional facilities to be fully operational.

France and the Netherlands, convinced of the need to continue to structure this hub, therefore decided to finance a second phase of the SECFRON project. In line with the initiative financed by the European Union, it focused on upgrading the facilities and providing further training.

The project to support Jordanian security and defence forces in Mafraq Governorate (SECFRON 2) was designed to ensure the operationalisation of the logistics and administrative hub. Its objectives were to:

• Improve the integrated management of borders and strengthen the response capability in the event of security crises in the area of the three borders
• Upgrade the existing facilities, support the military presence in Mafraq Governorate, and strengthen the capabilities of the Jordanian Armed Forces and other security forces in the logistics and administrative hub 

It has enabled the construction of additional facilities in the logistics and administrative hub and trained the armed forces in logistics modules.

While the second phase of the project reached completion in February 2024, a third financial allocation from the EU is under preparation, with the aim of meeting the final needs expressed by the Jordanian Armed Forces for the full operationalisation of the logistics and administrative hub in Ruwaishid.

Expertise France has been called on to design and implement this third phase of the SECFRON project.