More than 300 U.S. service members have landed in Israel to take part in this year’s IDF-US Juniper Falcon joint military exercise.
The American troops – from the U.S. European Command – will train together with some 400 IDF soldiers from Air Defense, the Operations Directorate, the Israel Navy, Logistics and Medical Units.
The drill is to end on February 15.
The drill, which begins this week, is designed to test the coordination, cooperation and mutual learning between the two armed forces in the event of future conflicts.
The exercise will involve a simulation in which the U.S. needs to provide the Jewish State with aerial missile defense.
Israel and the United States have a longstanding agreement for their military personnel to train together on a regular basis.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stressed the agreement – and the scheduling of this exercise – are not associated with any particular threat or event.
‘Juniper Falcon’, together with ‘Juniper Cobra’ (held during opposite years), is part of an annual exercise continuum between United States European Command and the IDF.
The United States purchased the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system from Israel last week. The system is allegedly required for immediate use by the U.S. Armed Forces.