--- title: "Watch Jordan’s King Abdullah II lead his troops in a live-fire exercise" date: "2020-02-04" modified: "2020-10-22" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/watch-jordans-king-abdullah-ii-lead-his-troops-in-a-live-fire-exercise/" categories: - "Military News" --- # Watch Jordan’s King Abdullah II lead his troops in a live-fire exercise ![]() At age 55, the King of Jordan is still ready to lead from the front — literally, the front of any given war. --- A video released by the Royal Court on Apr. 17 shows him leading Jordanian troops in a live-fire exercise, taking down buildings, clearing rooms, and covering his squad's rear. Military action [is nothing new to Jordan's reigning monarch](). ![]() *Hhis Majest King Abdullah II amongst his comrades in arms. (Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan photo)* The King attended the UK's Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1980, entering the British Army as a commissioned second lieutenant. He became a first lieutenant in the Jordanian armed forces after deploying with the British to West Germany. By 1986 he was the captain of a tank company. He worked his way up the officer's ranks. By the time he was promoted to general grade, he was in Jordan's Special Forces Command. Major General ibn Al Hussein became King Abdullah II in 1999 upon the death of his father. Since then, he has been a liberal reformist, making Jordan an island of stability in a sea of Middle East turmoil. The Jordanian King even introduced governmental reforms that will lead Jordan to a more parliamentary democracy. ![]() *Then-Crown Prince Abdullah with King Hussein of Jordan. (Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan)* His reforms made him a popular figure in his country and around the world. In terms of geopolitics, Abdullah, like his father Hussein, decided to be a peacemaker, maintaining Jordan's peace with Israel, taking in more than a million Syrian refugees, and keeping Jordan a bulwark against Islamic extremism. ### Read Now: [The King Of Jordan Sent Out This Badass Photo In Response To ISIL ]() ![]() *King Abdullah II (Royal Hashemite Court of Jordan photo)* The monarch never forgot his military roots. Keeping Jordan secure is something the King has always been ready to fight for — at times, even personally. When ISIS burned a downed Jordanian pilot alive, King Abdullah vowed to bombard the Islamic State until his military runs "out of fuel and bullets." Check out his room clearing skills in the video below, and contemplate what it must be like for junior enlisted Jordanian troops to fight alongside their freaking king. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFtyD4bBMSo ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()