AMMAN, March 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Department of State and the government of Jordan on Thursday inaugurated a new regional counterterrorism training facility south of capital Amman.

Jordan's Prince Rashid and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Michael Evanoff formally dedicated the new Jordanian Gendarmerie Training Academy, which was funded, constructed, and equipped through the U.S. Department of State's Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA) program.

Once fully operational, the new training center will double ATA's regional counterterrorism training capacity in Jordan, covering skills such as crisis response, explosive incident countermeasures, post-blast investigations, and tactical medicines, a statement by the U.S. embassy said on Thursday.

For 30 years, the government of Jordan has proved itself a steadfast partner of the ATA program, and has contributed significantly to advance the counterterrorism capabilities of law enforcement agencies in the region, the statement said.

Through the ATA program, Jordan has become a regional training hub where ATA has trained not only Jordanian police but also police from at least 21 other nations, the statement added.

Established in 1983, the ATA program is the U.S. government's premier counterterrorism training and equipment provider for foreign law enforcement agencies.