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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - U.S. troops have joined their Jordanian counterparts for the sixth annual Eager Lion exercise in the Hashemite kingdom, and Air Force B-52 Stratofortresses will again take part.

Two of the Cold War-era bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, will fly a 14,000-mile round trip to participate in the U.S. Central Command-led exercise, which kicked off on Sunday, according to a CENTCOM release.

The long-range aircraft will be just southwest of Iraq and Syria, where another several B-52s have been employing weapons against the Islamic State since April.

"During the exercise, B-52s will be conducting air intercept training with Jordanian fighter aircraft and will conduct a live, conventional weapons exercise in coordination with coalition ground forces," Lt. Col. Chris Karns, a U.S. Air Forces Central Command spokesman, told Air Force Times. "The B-52, in cooperation with other exercise participants, will demonstrate its flexibility and precision-based capabilities."

B-52s first began participating in Eager Lion this past year. The 2015 exercise involved 22 nations and more than 12,000 troops, about half of them from the U.S.

With the battle against the Islamic State raging in Iraq and Syria, Jordan's neighbors, this year's iteration of Eager Lion is more narrowly focused on U.S.-Jordanian interests and needs. Each country has dedicated 3,000 troops for the war games.

“We must sharpen our bilateral capabilities to respond to security threats and internal crises, such as the protection of vital installations, with an added emphasis on refining the proficiency of forces during night operations,” said Brig. Gen. Fahd Al-Damen, director of joint training for the Jordanian Armed Forces, in the news release.

The militaries will also train to enhance border security, command and control, cyber defense and battle-space management.

The partnership boasts a strategic advantage, as a handful of coalition partners have been operating from Jordan's Muwaffaq Salti air base in the air war against ISIS, known as Operation Inherent Resolve. Last year, the U.S. flew F-16s from the base to strike the extremist group, according to a CBS News report.

*Air Force Times