Jordan gets Patriot protection Training exercise: Patriot missile launchers such as these in Germany will be deployed by the US in Jordan. The Pentagon will leave a sophisticated missile defence system in Jordan after it is used in a training exercise there, officials have confirmed, a move that could position the United States military to play a more assertive role in the outcome of Syria's civil war. Officials said Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel approved the proposal to leave the Patriot batteries in Jordan, a US ally that shares a border with Syria and has been flooded with Syrian refugees fleeing the carnage. The US military has also deployed personnel to Jordan to assess military options and help the kingdom co-ordinate humanitarian efforts. Approved proposal: Chuck Hagel attends a NATO defence ministers meeting at the Alliance headquarters in Brussels. Patriot batteries, which were deployed along the Turkish border earlier this year, could be used to establish a no-fly zone in Syria. The Obama administration has been reluctant to intervene militarily in the civil war, but several US legislators are pressing for Washington to play a more assertive role. Oscar Seara, a spokesman for US Central Command, said the military would deploy Patriot missile launchers and F-16 fighter jets as part of a training exercise with the Jordanian military called Eager Lion. He said some equipment would remain "to enhance the defensive posture and capacity of Jordan." Although there is no sign Damascus intends to attack its neighbours, analysts say missile deployments in neighbouring countries send a powerful message.