Crown Prince Hussein announces reactivation of draft

Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan has announced the reactivation of compulsory military service in Jordan for young men.

The Crown Prince revealed that the National Military Service Program will be reactivated while in the Irbid Governorate’s King Abdullah II Gardens.

Crown Prince Hussein said that young Jordanians have to be prepared to serve and defend the country. He also remarked that those who have previously served in the military understand the importance of service.

He underlined the importance of the military connecting people to their homeland and how “serving with the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army builds character and instils discipline,” according to the Royal Hashemite Court.

The government has been working with its partners to develop the draft program that will have a clear timetable. More information will be released later.

Jordan’s Prime Minister Jafar Hassan has said they will fast-track the executive and legislative procedures to resume compulsory service.

Jordan officially ended its two-year mandatory military service for men aged between 18 and 40 in 1991. Since 2020, only unemployed men have had to serve one year in the Jordanian forces.

Both King Abdullah and Crown Prince Hussein have served in the Jordanian Armed Forces, as has the King’s younger daughter, Princess Salma, who is in the Air Force. She was the first female jet pilot in Jordan.

The reactivation of the draft comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East as Israel and Hamas continue the war that began in 2023.