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© Juan Vrijdag Juan Vrijdag
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US Major General (retired) Gary Harrell Director of the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC) on a Segway with in the background a shooting-range.PHOTO JUAN VRIJDAG GENERAL INFO: Jordan and the United States have committed some USD200 million to training special forces for counter-insurgency operations in the Middle East with the opening on 19 May of the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Center (KASOTC). The complex located Northeast of Amman, Jordan, stretching over 125 acres, will be directed by US Major General (retired) Gary Harrell. The 20 Jordanian and US trainers are expected to begin programmes in August 2009 for regional and domestic special operations and counter-terrorism forces. -the training center that is the world's largest special forces training facility of its kind, specializing in counter-terrorism and internal security missions. Users will have access to a multi-use tower; 100- and 300-meter live-fire, tactical, driving and urban ranges; and classroom facilities. The site includes 56 training buildings and a mock A300 aircraft fuselage; a centralized and integrated Range Operations Center to monitor and control all audio, video, special effects and target technology; networked day/night thermal cameras with 360-degree coverage to capture exercises for After Action Review; sound-effect speakers that project hundreds of realistic sounds, including shouts, animal noises and gunfire; integrated targetry; and special effects, such as rooftop explosion with debris, a concussion wave cannon, an automatic weapons simulator, simulated smells, a fog generator and an improvised explosive device (IED) kit.