Israel and the US canceled a missile defense drill, billed as the largest ever in the country’s history, planned for the spring, senior military officials said Sunday.
Initially scheduled for April and called “Austere Challenge,” the drill was supposed to see the deployment of thousands of US troops and various sophisticated US military equipment in Israel.
In recent weeks, Defense Minister Ehud Barak’s office has held talks with the Pentagon about the possibility of canceling the drill.
Senior military officers told The Jerusalem Post that the drill scheduled for April has been canceled, while defense officials said that it was possible that it would be held later in 2012.
The drill, expected to involve the deployment of thousands of US troops in Israel, was scheduled to last around a week and mark the first time that a top US military commander would participate in the simulations.
The parties were scheduled to simulate missile defense scenarios with the objective of creating a high level of interoperability so that, if needed, US missile defense systems would be able to work with Israeli systems during a conflict.
Officials refused to elaborate on the reasons behind talks to postpone or cancel the drill, but said they were mostly “technical and logistical.”
Talks about postponing the drill took the Americans, as well as the Israeli Air Defense division, responsible for missile defense, by surprise. Just last Thursday, top IAF officers had said that the drill was scheduled for this spring.
This year’s drill was expected to be unique in its size and scope and also mark the first time that commander of the US European Command, Adm. James Stavridis, would participate in the simulations. In the event of war, the EUCOM commander will be responsible for approving Israeli requests to deploy US missile defense systems in Israel.
The planned drill had caused tension in the region amid concern that Israel is planning an attack against Iran’s nuclear facilities in the near future, and therefore is bolstering its defenses together with the US.
It is possible that talks about postponing the drill can also be contributed to increased American concern that an Israeli strike is being planned.
Later this week, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Benny Gantz will fly to Brussels for a meeting of NATO military commanders and will return to Israel on Thursday to greet Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, who will be arriving in Tel Aviv for his first official visit.
If Iran gets the nuclear bomb or enough of them, I’m not so sure Israel will be the target but I know the U.S. will be one. Why do I say this? The Obama administration has been kissing Iran’s derriere so much that it invites the contempt of the Mullahs. Hitting the U.S. with a nuclear bomb after Obama has done so much to appease Iran would utterly humiliate the great Satan and — in Ahmadinejad’s eyes — bring about the hidden iman to boot.
Keep in mind that picture behind Ahmadinijad: HERE, and you will note that while the Israel egg is falling, the American egg (depicted as an egg) is smashed on the ground.
So just which country will be on the receiving end of an Iranian nuclear bomb? And when an Iranian bomb does strike America, world antisemitism will blame the Jews for not using planes to delay the centrifuges.
There will be a whipping up of hysteria against the Jews that will overtake rationality.
Baruch Hashem!
Perhaps Obama did not care for the motorcycle assassination; perhaps the US revealed its hand too soon and someone in Israel woke up; lots of perhapses. Question, has this dragon has been slain?
Lily
US EUCOM: Missile drill will take place later this year
By YAAKOV KATZ J.P
01/15/2012 21:44
The US military European Command said Sunday that the missile defense drill scheduled for April and canceled over the weekend would be held in late 2012.
“We are going to be conducting the exercise in the second half of 2012,” explained Capt. John Ross, spokesman for the US European Command (EUCOM). “It is not unusual for such exercises to be postponed and leaders of both sides believe that the best participation of all units will be best achieved later in the year.”
Initially scheduled for April and called “Austere Challenge,” the drill was supposed to see the deployment of thousands of US troops and various sophisticated US missile defense systems in Israel.
Yes – I didn’t like the smell of this. Not so concerned about the “boots on the ground” people; just the Commander-in-Chief and his military lackeys…
THANK G-D FOR THIS!