The United States Army’s European Command (EUCOMM) concluded the first- ever rapid deployment exercise of its most-advanced surface-to-air ‘THAAD’ missile-defense-system into Israel. The joint American-Israeli drill began approximately a month ago, following extensive operational preparations. During its deployment, some 250 U.S. crew members and Israeli air defense combat soldiers exercised a variety of scenarios, to test the System’s ability to integrate with Israel’s own’ aerial-defense-systems. Upon conclusion of the joint-drill, a Israeli military said “the IDF (collaborates) with American forces in order to enable coordination and improve the operational capabilities necessary for defending the skies of Israel.” The statement added that “this deployment represents another step in the enduring relationship between the two countries and strengthens the close coordination between them.” Commander of the IDF Air Defense Array Brigadier General Ran Kochav stressed the importance of cooperation between the U.S. army and Israel, noting that the THAAD system was successfully integrated “as an equivalent of the Israeli Arrow Weapons System, and brings with it complimentary capabilities.” The U.S. EUCOMM Deputy-Commander Major General Andrew J. Rohling also praised the professional cooperation between Israel and the U.S. Army, and hailed the “outstanding performance” by U.S. servicemen from the Air and Missile Defense community. The EUCOMM Deputy Commander also proudly highlighted the U.S. military’s ability to rapidly deploy combat-ready forces into and across the (world),” which General Rohling emphasized “is critical to projecting forces at a moment’s notice to support (U.S.) Allies and partners across the (globe).”
