(Defense News) Barbara Opall-Rome - U.S. and Israeli officers broke ground in Israel on Monday for a permanent U.S. Army base at the Israel Defense Forces Air Defense School near Beersheba. The base will house U.S. operational systems to identify and intercept a spectrum of aerial threats. "A few dozens of soldiers of our American allies will be stationed here permanently. They are part of an American task force that will be stationed here," said Israeli Air Force Brig.-Gen. Zvika Haimovich, the IDF's air defense commander. He emphasized that the American presence "would not hamper the IDFs ability to act independently." The U.S. military has operated an independent facility in Israel's Negev desert for nearly a decade that houses an X-Band radar to provide early warning of a ballistic missile attack from Iran.
2017-09-19 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive