A GATHERING OF WARRIORS

SPECIAL OPERATIONS TEAMS COMPETE FOR THE GLORY IN YAJOUZ, JORDAN

- WES DOSS

Every year, in the heart of the rocky desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula, warriors of many cultures gather to put their skills to the test in competitive feats of expertise, to leave the arena the victor and leave their opponents in the dust. This annual assembly of the world’s warriors is more than a gathering — much more akin to a congregation of souls sharing a deep calling not well understood by those who haven’t spent their lives in pursuit of the warrior’s path.

Each of the last 11 years, in the rugged historic land of Jordan, precariously nestled between Israel, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Iraq, and Syria, a one-of-a-kind event has been​ held where warriors from many, often adversarial, lands gather, leaving their differences at home and putting their skills to the test against each other. Held at the impressive and sophisticated state-of-the-art King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center, or KASOTC, just outside of Amman. At the Warrior Competition, military and law enforcement special operations teams from across the globe face off on a level playing field in a grueling marathon of trials, testing their leadership, endurance, physical strength, marksmanship, and specialized skills.

The extraordinary 600-plus-acre KASOTC facility, located outside Amman in Yajouz, Jordan, houses every conceivable training tool, range, and prop available to special operations organizations. Live-fire cities, interactive long-distance ranges, driving pads, airfields, drop zones, multilevel live-fire CQB shoot houses, and breaching ranges are managed and maintained by a full-time professional staff. KASOTC leaves little to wish for and was created as a dedicated training center by King Abdullah, himself a legendary special operations warrior.