US, "Israel" to Hold Military Drills Next October
The US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Army Gen. Martin Dempsey announced that "the US and "Israel" will hold a major missile war drill in October.
The exercise "Austere Challenge 12" was scheduled originally for April but was postponed amid growing talk of "Israel" preparing to attack Iran over its nuclear program. The odds of an "Israeli" attack in the near term appear to have lessened.
Dempsey told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday that he "is unfamiliar with exact details but that the postponed exercise is expected to take place in October."
"The exercise is designed to test multiple "Israeli" and US air military systems against incoming missiles and rockets from places as far away as Iran," military officials stated.
This came as the commander of the 3rd Air Force, Lt.-Gen.Craig A. Franklin, on a recent visit to "Israel", established a planning committee with representatives of the "Israeli" army to coordinate the details of the exercise. "Some 3,000 US soldiers are to participate, alongside thousands of "Israeli" troops," "Israeli" news agencies reported.
They further reported that "the drill will simulate missiles being fired at "Israel" from Iran and Syria simultaneously, with potentially tens, if not hundreds, of rockets mid-air at the same time."
""Israel" will test its upgraded Arrow 2 missile system, while the US will deploy the Aegis Ballistic Missile Army System and PAC-3 Patriot air platforms," they mentioned
According to "Maariv", some military analysts have nicknamed the exercise a "dress rehearsal" for a potential military conflict, noting that "it will send a clear message to Iran at a time during which the impact of international sanctions, or lack thereof, will be clearer."
Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org
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