The Defense Dept. writes that “Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey [on Thursday] capped a four-day Middle East trip with a visit to deployed U.S. troops partnering with Jordanian forces here.”

“Some 200-plus troops are here as U.S. Central Command Forward, Jordan — a deployed element that coordinates between U.S. and Jordanian forces, as well as among other U.S. organizations, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. State Department, and the roughly 1,000 members of the U.S. Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force in-country.”

“Much of the group comes from the headquarters of the U.S. Army’s 1st Armored Division, with augmentation from other services and a sprinkling of civilians. The team in Jordan also includes liaison officers linking them to the services, special operations forces, the U.S. Embassy in Jordan, USAID, Britain, Canada and France. Its primary focus is planning for Syria.”