Anti-aircraft units from the U.S. Army and the Israel
Defense Forces will hold an extensive joint anti-aircraft exercise
in Israel. The forces will practice
the coordinated operation of anti-aircraft systems including the Arrow anti-ballistic intercepter missile and the Patriot missile air defense
batteries.
The exercise, code-named Juniper Cobra, is scheduled
to run from March 10 until mid-April. It will examine the extent of
coordination between the two sides in various attack scenarios. The
exercises will also test air defense systems at different heights, with
the Arrow providing protection at great heights and the Patriot at lower
heights.
Roughly 1,000 U.S. troops will participate in the computer-assisted
and limited live-fire exercise. Of the total U.S. force, about 500 soldiers
with the 69th Air Defense Artillery Brigade based at Giebelstadt Army
Airfield in Germany and the brigade’s two Patriot battalions will
take part in the exercise. The brigade’s Patriot battalions are
the 5th Battalion, 7th ADA in Hanau, and the 6th Battalion, 52nd ADA
headquartered in Ansbach. The remaining U.S. force, both active-duty
and reserve, is composed of Navy and various communications and logistics
support elements from the States and Europe.
Officials denied any connection between the exercise
and current events in the region. Prior Juniper Cobra exercises were
held at times of tension in January 2003 (when American troops and materials
were being deployed to the Middle East in preparation for Operation
Iraqi Freedom) and February 2001 (coinciding with an Israeli election
and ongoing Israeli-Palestinian violence), but Army officials said the
exercises had been planned a year in advance and were unrelated to events.