Cabinet refers amendments to Officers’ Service Law to legislation bureau

AMMAN — The Council of Ministers on Wednesday approved the mandating reasons for amendments to the law governing officers’ service at the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), to be sent to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau. 

More than 40 years have passed since the law was first issued, and the amendments are in response to the Royal vision on reconsidering the course of military service in line with the army’s development, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

The amendments organise granting the rank of officer to Jordanians under special contracts with set durations.

Earlier this year, His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of JAF, sent a letter to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs-of-Staff Gen. Mashal Al Zaben, directing the army to reconsider its approach to the recruitment and career development of commissioned officers.

In compliance with the King’s directives, Zaben said the General Command of the army will launch Fursan Al Mustaqbal (knights of the future) which will give university graduates the opportunity to enlist in the army as officers provided that they meet the requirements during an assessment period of five years.

Zaben also said that the programme is designed to improve young people’s skills and qualifications to later work in other sectors inside and outside the Kingdom with discipline, commitment and determination.

The draft amendments approved Wednesday also include changing Paragraph A of Article 56 of the Officers’ Service Law to stipulate that the army chief is to be appointed upon Royal Decree, in pursuance of the 2014 constitutional amendments.