Jordan and the United States unveiled in southern Jordan on Thursday the Jordan Gendarmerie Training Academy, which is specialized in counterterrorism training. The center connected to the Jordanian Police Academy was opened in Suwaqah, 70 kilometers from the Jordanian capital. Jordanian Gendarmerie Director Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh said at the ceremony that Jordan’s security and military forces have played an effective role in combating terrorism and preserving international peace. Soldiers and security forces have also been martyred while fighting terrorism in defense of their nation and their values. The ceremony was attended by Prince Rashid bin Hassan, the commander of the Kingdoms police special forces, US Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Michael Evanoff and US Chargé d’Affaires Henry Wooster. "The anti-terrorism assistance program for Jordan is ongoing and very important to us," Evanoff told reporters. "The training saves lives and helps build the capacity of the host country. I am very happy to open this center, and I look forward to its expansion and use as a central hub," he said. Wooster also lauded strategic ties between Jordan and the United States, saying Washington remained committed to backing Amman’s efforts in combating terrorism and consolidating peace and security in the region and the world. The US embassy in Amman said in a statement that the new academy was funded, constructed, and equipped through the Department of State’s Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program. “Once fully operational, the new training center, part of a larger Gendarmerie training facility, will double ATA’s regional counterterrorism training capacity in Jordan, in hard skills such as crisis response, explosive incident countermeasures, post-blast investigations, and tactical medicine,” it added.