by Yaakov Lappin, JNS and Israel Hayom Staff
Even if the IDF conducts a highly successful offensive strategy, this may not be enough to suitably protect the homefront, Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eitan Ben-Eliyahu assesses
All of
Israel's future conflicts will see major enemy fire on the civilian
homefront, meaning that air defense is more crucial than ever, a former
Israel Air Force chief has told JNS following the start of an
Israeli-American joint exercise.
In recent days, the Israel Defense Forces
and the U.S. military's European Command (EUCOM) announced that for the
first time, the United States has brought over its Terminal High
Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Israel.
The unprecedented move is part of a joint missile defense drill.
The exercise could be seen as a signal to
Iran and its proxies of Washington's commitment to help Israel defend
its air space in the event of a future war.
According to foreign media reports, Iran
has hundreds of ballistic missiles in its arsenal, while its proxy,
Hezbollah, has an estimated 130,000 projectiles, including long-range
rockets and missiles that can strike any point in Israel.
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, who
commanded the IAF from 1996 to 2000, told JNS that "from here on out, in
any combat scenario, whether it is local or regional, there will be
widespread use of rockets and missiles [by the enemy].
Even if the IDF conducts a highly
successful offensive strategy, this may not be sufficient to suitably
protect the fighting forces, and it especially will not suitably protect
the homefront. Hence, there is no choice but to combine between offense
and active defense at the same time."
Ben-Eliyahu assessed that future
significant wars would involve "the formation of coalitions between
countries," and that this required their militaries to practice working
together on air defenses.
Mounting a joint defense requires close coordination and an ability to integrate several defensive systems, he explained.
"Therefore, it is not enough to hold joint
drills as we have seen in the past, in which the coordination is limited
to cooperation between planes in the air," said Ben-Eliyahu.
Ben-Eliyahu said that in light of the Trump
administration's recent policy of withdrawing armed forces from the
Middle East, "it is comfortable for it to fill the vacuum by exhibiting a
defensive, rather than offensive presence."
Head of the International Media Branch at
the IDF Spokesperson's Unit Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters
this week that the purpose of the exercise is to drill America's "rapid
deployment across the globe and to enhance cooperation between the IAF
and U.S. air-defense systems."
He added that "the deployment emphasizes the U.S.'s commitment to the defense of Israel."
Last month, the IDF and U.S. military's EUCOM held the joint Juniper Falcon exercise, testing their ability to work together.
"We are working in cooperation with our
U.S. counterparts to strengthen our ability to defend Israeli air
space," confirmed Conricus.
The latest drill is "an opportunity to
practice the integration of advanced American air-defense systems into
the IAF Air Defense Array. Needless to say, we are grateful for this
exercise. The IDF stands ready to protect the air space against threats
near and far," he stated.
Conricus stressed that the exercise is
defensive and was planned in advance. The United States flew in
personnel and equipment from Texas and Italy to Israel, including more
than 200 soldiers and officers.
Last year, the IDF and U.S. held the
biannual Juniper Cobra ballistic-missile defense exercise, which
simulated threats, but did not see the arrival of THAAD.
Conricus said past exercises did not
include the kind of actual tactical cooperation between soldiers, airmen
and marines that is currently taking place, affirming that "we are
going to … ensure our readiness for the future."
This article is reprinted from JNS.org.
Yaakov Lappin, JNS and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/2019/03/07/future-conflicts-will-bring-widespread-missile-fire-cautions-ex-iaf-chief/
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