Retired Major General Adnan Obaidat narrates the background of the launch of the first Jordanian military radio and its role in national and moral media

Hala News – Exclusive – Armed Forces Radio was not the result of a passing decision or an urgent idea, but rather the result of a long process of institutional thinking and national need, as retired Major General Adnan Obaidat, former Director of Moral Guidance, narrates in a special interview on Army FM on the occasion of World Radio Day.

That morning, the radio voice returned to its roots, not only through memories, but through the testimony of a man who was at the heart of the moment of transformation.

Obaidat explained that the idea of ​​establishing a military radio preceded his assumption of the position of Director of Moral Guidance, and was on the minds of political and military leaders, before it crystallized later in response to multiple needs: “political, military, media, psychological, and social.”

The transition from idea to implementation actually began with “the verbal directive issued by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the time, Field Marshal Abdel Hafez Al-Kaabneh, may God have mercy on him, which set March 1, 1998 as the date for the radio to be ready and officially broadcast.” Then, Obaidat found himself tasked with managing an unprecedented project within the armed forces, “in an environment that had not previously known radio work as an independent institution.”

The challenge was not simple, as there were no previous role models and no radio expertise within the military institution that could be relied upon.

“I was confused,” Obaidat says, describing the beginnings, before attention turned to cooperation with the Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation, which “was an essential partner in transferring experience and knowledge.”

Work began on more than one track at the same time: “training cadres from the Directorate of Moral Guidance on radio work, securing financial and human budgets, and preparing the technical infrastructure.” Obaidat continues, a specialized engineering committee was formed that included engineers from radio and television and the Housing and Military Works Directorate, to equip studios and buildings according to radio broadcasting standards, in a race against time to complete the project within the specified time frame.

But the biggest challenge was not only technical, but also editorial and professional. He says: “The nascent radio had to find its own voice: a military radio that belongs organizationally to the armed forces and the Directorate of Moral Guidance, and at the same time addresses all of Jordanian society.”

Thus, a program map was formed that combined military and moral content, with general content directed to the civilian audience, so that radio took its natural place among the audio media in Jordan.

The military media “has been and will remain a pillar in building national awareness and enhancing morale, and a disciplined voice that reflects the image of the military institution in the conscience of society.”

At this stage, the role of Jordanian media professionals and experts emerged, who contributed to building the radio’s identity and training its staff. Obaidat recalled names that left a profound professional and humanitarian impact, including the director of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Radio at the time, Hashem Khreisat, and the late media figures Jabr Hajat and Ghaleb Al-Hadidi, along with Sawsan Tuffaha, Afaf Qadmani, Jumana Majli, and other technicians and specialists who worked in the spirit of national partnership. The story was not just the story of an institution, “but the story of generations,” Obaidat confirms.

Read also: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff inaugurates the military television studio

On this occasion, Obaidat paid tribute to the staff of Army Radio FM and the Jordanian Armed Forces Radio, expressing his pride in what military radio has achieved, and stressing that the military media, in its various forms, “has been and will remain a pillar in building national awareness and enhancing morale, and a disciplined voice that reflects the image of the military institution in the conscience of society.”

Thus, celebrating World Radio Day was not just an occasion, but rather a restoration of the memory of a voice that was born out of need, grew in partnership, and continued to become part of the Jordanian media scene.

The Jordanian Armed Forces Radio was launched on March 1, 1998 under the name “Voice of the Renaissance” with one hour of broadcast, and on November 13, 2001, His Majesty the Supreme Commander of the Jordanian Armed Forces officially opened the radio and named it the Jordanian Armed Forces Radio – the Arab Army –

UNESCO celebrates World Radio Day on February 13 of each year, and this year’s celebration comes with the launch of the World Radio Day 2026 initiative urging radio stations to deal with artificial intelligence as an opportunity for growth and innovation, while at the same time preserving the warmth, reliability and human touch that audiences value.

Short link: