Over 3,000 troops - 1,700 U.S. Marine, Air, and Army personnel and 1,500 Israeli Air Force members – engaged together in three weeks of comprehensive and bilateral Missile Defense exercises, code named “Juniper Cobra 16,” which took place on Israeli soil and ended this week. It is the largest such exercise the two militaries conducted in the past 10 years. The drill simulates a wide theatre of missile threats on Israel, ranging from Rockets from Gaza to Missiles from Iran, and is designed to upgrade and improve the joint Israeli – U.S. capability to meet and mitigate those threats. Six air defense systems, and Israel’s entire Missile Defense architecture including, for the first time, the Iron Dome system, were integrated into the complex exercise.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford is on a visit to Israel this week, his first trip outside the U.S., visiting the joint exercise and meeting with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and IDF Chief Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot. Reiterating his commitment to the relations between the two countries' militaries, Dunford said, “My first trip outside the U.S. was to Israel, and I very much appreciate the welcome.”
Defense Minister Ya’alon greeted the guest, saying, “Your visit… is another example of the extent of the relationship and cooperation between the American and Israeli militaries, intelligence systems, and defense establishments…We greatly value our relationship and see the U.S. as our great ally. Many challenges lie ahead, and we must face them together.”
This landmark exercise and visit are indeed a testament to those strong relations between our two countries, and to the need to meet the challenges ahead together.