(inFocus Quarterly) Oded Eran - U.S.-Israel Military Relations: An Israeli Perspective The United States defense establishment is a major partner in Israel's strategic balance and a pillar of its defensive shield. Israel has contributed to American tactics and weapons systems. At the same time, no American soldier has ever fought in a battle in which Israel was fighting with its Arab neighbors. The U.S. and Israel use the same hardware and their armies and soldiers are continually involved in battle. The level of research and development both in the area of hardware and training, as well as in drawing lessons-learned from active combat, allows the two armies to mutually benefit. Joint military cooperation in the area of missile defense serves as the most recent example. The U.S. stands to benefit immensely from Israel's rocket defense R&D efforts. Both the Iron Dome (operational) and David's Sling (soon to become operational) systems offer capabilities that no other country in the world has. The Arrow III exo-atmospheric interceptor, to be fielded in 2015, will provide Washington with key insights into a system that, according to senior U.S. Missile Defense Agency officials, "will be more capable than anything the United States has on the drawing board." The location of Israel in the Middle East, the ongoing confrontation with regional terror groups with links to terror organizations from outside the region, together with the importation of weapons systems from sources hostile to both Israel and the U.S., makes U.S.-Israel intelligence sharing essential. Furthermore, the thousands of Israeli and American soldiers who come together at military schools, training facilities, joint exercises, and military industrial plants, create a human bridge. The writer, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies at Tel Aviv University, served twice at the Embassy of Israel in Washington.
2013-04-10 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive