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US establishes first permanent military base in Israel
[IsraelTimes] The United States is establishing its first ever official, permanent military base in Israel: an air defense base in the heart of the Negev desert, Brig. Gen. Tzvika Haimovitch, head of the IAF’s Aerial Defense Command, announces.Dozens of US Air Force soldiers will be based at the new site, located inside the Israeli Air Force’s Mashabim Air Base, west of the towns of Dimona and Yerucham. "It’s nothing less than historic," Haimovitch says. It demonstrates the "years-old alliance between the United States and the State of Israel." The Israeli brigadier general tells news hounds that the establishment of a permanent US base in Israel "allows us to improve our defense, in discovery and in interception and in preparedness." Haimovitch denies that the timing of the base opening was tied to any specific current event, and noted that the process of establishing it had been in the works for some two years.
In his speech, Maj. Gen. John Gronski, deputy commander of US Army National Guard in Europe, said the base "symbolizes the strong bond that exists between the United States and Israel." It is located not far from a US military radar installation east of Dimona that tracks ballistic missiles once they are launched and provides details on their flight paths to defense systems. US military forces are routinely based in Israel, both for joint exercises and for routine cooperation with the IDF, but Haimovitch described the new base as a meaningful change. Posted by: trailing wife 2017-09-19 |
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| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=497647 |