The United States will help strengthen Jordan’s response capability to disease outbreaks under a joint requirements implementation plan with the Royal Medical Services of the Jordanian Armed Forces.
The plan calls for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency under the Department of Defense to mobilize its Biological Threat Reduction Program in collaboration with RMS to organize training for Jordanian and Middle East partners on pathogens analysis through molecular and genomic sequencing methods. The JRIP commits Jordan’s RMS to budget for and maintain the DTRA-provided capabilities.
The training program will focus not only on developing technical skills but will also emphasize bioethics and DTRA’s nonproliferation goals, according to an agency announcement released on Tuesday.
BTRP department chief Ada Bacetty and RMS Director General Brig. General Yousef Zreiqat led the JRIP signing ceremony at King Hussein Medical City in Amman in August.
DTRA and the Jordanian government have been partnering in several partnership programs since 2014. In August, a completion ceremony was held for their Electronic Integrated Disease Surveillance System joint project, marking the system’s full transfer to the Ministry of Agriculture, including equipment and software.