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The U.S. Deploys Israel's Iron Dome Missile Defense System
(Defense News) Lt.-Gen. (ret.) Henry A. Obering III - The U.S. Army's recent acquisition of two Iron Dome short-range air defense batteries from Israel provides a much-needed solution to one of America's critical security needs. As the former head of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, I had a close relationship with the Israel Defense Forces and valued their constant pursuit of innovative defenses. Iron Dome has stopped over 2,000 rockets fired at Israeli population centers with a remarkable success rate, an achievement that also shifted U.S. thinking about homeland missile defense. While a Patriot missile costs $3 million, the Iron Dome interceptor costs $40,000.The fact is that Iron Dome is the most proven and affordable option against very short-range fire that existing U.S. systems were not designed to cover. Limiting Iron Dome's purchase and deployment undervalues its potential to protect American troops. The writer is a member of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America's U.S.-Israel Security Policy Project.