YERUSHALAYIM —
The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), the Israeli Air Defense Command, and the U.S. Air and Missile Defense Task Force carried out a joint simulation training exercise in Elbit Systems’ Battle Lab that took place in late July and focused on protecting Israel from ballistic threats, the Defense Ministry revealed Monday.
The joint simulation training exercise continues the tradition of excellent cooperation between the countries’ armed forces in order to improve the soldiers’ competency level for tactics, techniques and procedures, and to strengthen coordination between the forces.
During the simulation training exercise, the Israeli forces operated the Arrow, David’s Sling and Iron Dome air defense systems. The American forces operated the Patriot, Aegis and THAAD systems.
Israel’s multi-layered defense system includes the Arrow for long-range missiles, the Iron Dome system for short-range rockets and mortars, and David’s Sling, designed to contend with mid-range missiles. They provide a defense against a wide array of ballistic projectiles, with an eye on the Iranian ballistic threat and those posed by the Hezbollah terror organization from Lebanon and Hamas from Gaza. The IAF utilizes a wide range of air defense systems but still may require the U.S. forces’ assistance.
The Israeli Test-Bed (ITB) battle lab, developed by Elisra, a subsidiary of Elbit Systems, is capable of simulating Israeli and American air defense systems, all in one shared space, and can display and record real-time data that assist in comprehensive debriefings of the scenarios.
“This exercise represents another step in our extensive cooperation with the American air and missile defense forces,” said Moshe Patel, Head of the IMDO. “The combination of the different systems significantly improves our forces’ readiness to face evolving threats on several fronts simultaneously.”
Israel is threatened by some 230,000 rockets from the Arab countries surrounding it in the Middle East. In the next war with Hezbollah, Israel’s cities are expected to contend with a barrage of some 3,000 rockets on a daily basis.
“The battle lab, which was developed at Elbit Systems by the IMDO and the MDA over the past 30 years, is constantly adapting to meet the challenges posed by our dynamic arena,” he added.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz stated, “The relationship between Israel and the U.S. continues to grow stronger in face of the region’s increasing threats and challenges, in order to maintain our security and regional stability. Combining forces, sharing knowledge, and strengthening the air defense of the Middle East is a message to our enemies and to our partners – we are strong together, and we are ready to stand together against any challenge – from the air, land, sea, and the cyber arena.”
Commander of the Mission Control Center for Allied Procedures in the Aerial Defense Array Brig. Gen. (Res.) Doron Gavish noted, “The strategic cooperation between forces is a significant component for maintaining and improving defense capabilities in the face of shared threats. The exercise was deemed very successful and constitutes an important tool to improve our readiness processes and the IDF Central Command’s transition to joint activity with CENTCOM on both strategic and operational levels.”