His Majesty King Abdullah, the Supreme Commander of the Jordan Armed Forces-Arab Army (JAF), on Monday directed the relevant agencies to start executing the "Brothers in Arms” programme to support retired servicemen and veterans.

Chairing a meeting at Al Husseiniya Palace, attended by HRH Crown Prince Hussein, King Abdullah saluted his brothers in arms on the occasion of Veterans Day, reaffirming pride in their service to the nation and paying tribute to the martyrs of the JAF and security agencies, according to a Royal Court statement.

His Majesty lauded the efforts exerted by Crown Prince Hussein and the relevant stakeholders in preparing a programme to support retired servicemen and veterans.

The Crown Prince outlined the programme’s five main components, prepared by a committee formed in line with Royal directives to provide support for retired servicemen and veterans.

His Royal Highness said the programme embodies the spirit of teamwork and cooperation, expressing appreciation of the efforts of the relevant stakeholders in the government, the JAF, security agencies and the banking and private sectors.

Prime Minister Bisher Al Khasawneh and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Maj. Gen. Yousef Huneiti also gave a brief about the programme.

The programme includes the disbursement of JD438 million for military housing, to reduce waiting time and increase the number of non-commissioned officer beneficiaries from 6,600 in 2020 to 27,000 in 2021, in addition to 1,100 officers in 2021.

The programme also entails including retired servicemen under the Military Credit Fund umbrella, establishing dedicated service lanes for military retirees at public agencies, offering pre-retirement orientation and training, and launching a shopping discount programme through a smartphone app.

Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Adviser to His Majesty for Policies Haifa Khraisha, Central Bank of Jordan Governor Ziad Fariz, General Intelligence Department Director Maj. Gen. Ahmad Husni, and Public Security Directorate Director Maj. Gen. Hussein Hawatmeh attended the meeting.