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# Jordan, Colorado National Guard conduct first public affairs exchange

By Army National Guard Sgt. Jesica GeffreWisconsin National Guard

HASHEMITE KINGDOM, Jordan - During a transformative time throughout the Middle East credited mostly to the use of social media, a Colorado National Guard public affairs team traveled here to participate in the first-ever U.S. Central Command PA exchange with the Jordan Armed Forces as part of the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program.

Jordan, an Islamic country of approximately 6 million people in the center of the Middle East, is one of Colorado's two partners in the SPP, a program celebrating nearly 20 years of enduring country relationships.

Jordan considers itself a model of a modern Islamic state, has been a partner to Colorado since 2004. This was the Guard's first state partnership with a Middle Eastern country, and still the only one out of 63 state partnerships to date.

"A brilliant aspect of the National Guard State Partnership Program is in its pairings," said Colorado Air National Guard Capt. Darin Overstreet, deputy state public affairs officer.

"National Guard units and states are similar to many of their partner nations in both size and composition of forces," Overstreet said. "Additional considerations include equipment; terrain similarities; and geographic concerns, like water scarcity."

The SPP provides unique military-to-military activities with partner countries using Guard expertise. Participation in SPP events is designed to build partnership capacity, enduring civil-military relationships that improve long-term international security and achieve greater military interoperability.

"Military-to-military exchanges under the State Partnership Program are not just that. They have tremendous value in creating civilian-military dialogue with far-reaching and positive ripple effects," said Air Force Maj. Gen. H. Michael Edwards, the adjutant general of the Colorado National Guard.

The purpose of the PA exchange was to share information about PA practices, to foster relations between the two countries and have a cultural exchange. There was also much discussion about Jordan's Amman Message.

***Amman Message:***

His Majesty King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein declared the Amman Message to communicate "what Islam is and what it is not, and what actions represent it and what actions do not." The goal of the Amman Message "was to clarify to the modern world the true nature of Islam and the nature of true Islam."

"True Islam is a religion of moderation where principles of tolerance and dialogue prevail," said Directorate of Military Security Operations Officer Maj. Ramzi AlHayasat.

Director of the JAF Moral Guidance Directorate, Col. Odeh Shdeefar, hosted the exchange and described the humanitarian mission of their teams in Afghanistan.

Part of that mission is spreading the Amman Message, which fights extremist ideology and condemns violence in the name of religion.

"We cannot change minds with bullets," Shdeefar said.

***Jordan in Afghanistan:***

Col. Hesham Zakha said Jordan is making a significant contribution to the coalition forces in Afghanistan by deploying Female Engagement Teams. Consisting of Muslim females, these teams have the unique ability to reach out to Afghan women who customarily do not speak to male soldiers. The teams bring medical supplies and educational materials to the women and children in villages and speak to them about their shared values in Islam and concern for the welfare of their families.

2nd Lt. Areej Hussen-Malkawi spent six months in Afghanistan conducting visits, activities and meetings with prominent women in Afghanistan as well as women and children in more than 30 rural villages and schools, engaging them in the tolerant teachings of Islam. Hussen-Malkawi said their mission was to help the women take a leading role in public and private sectors, gain access to educational and health services, and take advantage of economic opportunities – particularly in the agricultural sector, which is the main source of income for the Afghan people.

Hussen-Malkawi said her work was very fulfilling and the Afghan women were receptive to the message of moderate Islam and eager to participate in the community and for their children to receive education.

A benefit of interacting with the women was the contact with their children, which exposed them to the humanitarian assistance and the peaceful message of modern Islam.

"You have to work on the kids and youth and educate them," Zahka said. "The children are the future."

Zakha also presented an overview of the objectives and tasks of the Moral Guidance Directorate in Jordan.

***PA exchange:***

The engagement covered information exchanges and discussions on practices involving working with local and international news media, strategic outreach to community-based organizations, internal communications to service members and their families, producing media products and using social media.

"This relationship with Jordan provides incredible opportunities for building cultural awareness," Overstreet said. "The information arena of current operations is so culturally sensitive. Having a strong partner in the Middle East does a great deal to help build a sense of cultural sensitivity and mutual understanding."

"We realized we both share challenges in which government and the military intersect with civilian society – especially in the realm of social media," said Colorado Air National Guard Maj. Elena O'Bryan, state public affairs officer. "Social media is here to stay, and mission success depends on us telling our story through that new outlet. Otherwise, someone else with far less knowledge and experience is going to tell it for us."

Zakha provided a tour of the facilities as well as examples of their military media products.

"We were impressed with the extent of Jordan Armed Forces' in house visual and print capabilities," said O'Bryan. "We could stand to invest more in our own military public affairs capabilities."

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