UPDATE III:
US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Martin Dempsey, said Monday during a meeting with President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem that the current joint US-Israeli military exercise is proof of the United States’ commitment to remain strong and together with Israel, according to the Jerusalem Post
Israeli President Shimon Peres, right, meets with U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in Jerusalem, Oct. 29, 2012.(Photo: DoD)
The Post:
Dempsey emphasized that the military exercise being conducted by the soldiers, pilots and sailors of both countries is the largest one ever and an opportunity for soldiers, pilots and sailors from both countries to work as a collaborative force against rockets and missiles.
For his part, Peres thanked Dempsey for what he termed as the profound cooperation between US and Israeli forces, indicating the friendship between the two countries is “at its height and at its best.”
“This cooperation is meaningful, politically and militarily.” he said.
What was it that Mitt Romney was saying about “daylight between us and Israel,” again?
UPDATE II:
More from the Jerusalem Post:
“This is a defensive exercise for missile-defense capabilities in Israel,” [US Air Force Lt.-Gen. Craig Franklin – the senior American officer in Israel for the exercise] said. He stressed that the drill had no relation to any real world events. “It’s not there to send a message, but to prove a defensive missile capability for Israel,” Franklin said.
All threats to the Israeli home front would be included in scenarios, from long and short-range ballistic missiles to rockets and mortars, he added.
“It’s to prove defense interoperability between our two nations.”
[IDF’s Brig.-Gen. Nitzan Nuriel, who is heading the Israeli side of the exercise] said scenarios would include missile attacks from multiple fronts involving more than one salvo per day.
“We need [the soldiers] to work at a high tempo, to prepare them for real scenarios if they are coming,” he said.
Nuriel confirmed that the air defense forces would also practice dealing with the threat of a hostile drone, such as the one sent by Hezbollah into Israeli airspace earlier this month.
[::]
“When we look at the cooperation among our enemies, we understand that our national home front has turned into a target. A joint drill significantly strengthens our operational capabilities,” [a senior Israeli defense source] said.
“We welcome our American partners to Israel,” he added.
[::]
“The combination of new regimes and terror organizations armed with advanced weaponry, which were once reserved for militaries alone, creates a threat to the heart of our state and way of life,” [Air Force chief Maj.-Gen. Amir Eshel] warned…
UPDATE I:
The New York Times provides additional background for Exercise Austere Challenge 2012 that was originally planned for the spring, but postponed at Israel’s request for “diplomatic and regional reasons,” citing regional tensions and instability.
Read more here
===
Original post:
In addition to misrepresenting President Obama’s statement in the Rose Garden on Sept. 12, immediately following the Benghazi attack on our consulate, Mitt Romney also accused President Obama of putting “daylight between us and Israel” in the second presidential debate.
Well, there is so much “daylight” between the United States and Israel that more than 3,500 American service members will join with Israeli allies for Exercise Austere Challenge 2012 in Israel next week, “the largest U.S.-Israeli military exercise to date” and one that “will build on the long-standing relationship between the two countries.”
In a Department of Defense news release, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Craig A. Franklin and Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Nitzan Nuriel said that the exercise will be conducted throughout Israel and off-shore. Franklin commands the 3rd Air Force and is the senior U.S. commander for the exercise. Nuriel is the Israeli lead planner.
More than 1,000 U.S. military personnel are arriving in Israel for the exercise, Franklin said. “They will be in a variety of locations across the country for the next several weeks,” he said. The exercise will build on the long-standing relationship between the two countries, test the cooperative missile defense of Israel, and promote regional stability.
U.S. service members will man Patriot anti-missile systems, an Aegis ballistic missile defense ship and various other air defense systems. The Israelis will put more than 1,000 service members into the field and will test the Iron Dome and Arrow 2 systems. The Israelis will also tie the developing David’s Sling system into the scenarios.
Most of the three-week exercise will be simulation, but some training will entail live-fire, Nuriel said.
Austere Challenge 2012 is the largest U.S.-Israeli military exercise to date, Franklin said, and it is the latest in a long line of such exercises. The scenario for the exercise is not aimed at any specific threat or country in the region, both Franklin and Nuriel said.
General Franklin said that the exercise is purely for improving the combined U.S.-Israeli capabilities and added, “It is not related to national elections nor any perceived tensions in the Middle East. We are military professionals coming together to train for a defensive mission.”
According to DoD, the U.S. has pledged $30 million to the exercise and the Israelis pegged their exercise costs at 30 million shekels –around $7.9 million.
Read more here
Also read here.
Image via shutterstock.com
