Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: The United States and Israel have launched what one US official described as the partners’ most significant joint army exercise to date, involving thousands of armed forces, a dozen ships, and 142 aircrafts, including nuclear-capable bombers.
According to Reuters, the “Juniper Oak” drills, which could run through Friday, are meant to demonstrate and deepen integration between the US and Israeli militaries, the senior US defense official said and came at a time of growing tension over Iran’s nuclear program.
US and their partners launch military exercises
Although the drills could likely draw interest from Tehran, the US official said there could be no mockups of Iranian targets and that the army exercises were not oriented around any particular adversary.
“I do think the scale of the military exercise is relevant to the whole range of scenarios, and Iran may draw certain inferences from that,” the officials acknowledged.
“It’s meant to kick the tires on our ability to do things at this scale with the Israelis against various threats.”
The official said that the exercises could include live-fire activities and involve 6,400 US forces, many of which could be aboard the US aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush strike group. Some 450 troops were on the ground in Israel.
Beyond B-52 bombers, the US aircraft could include F-35s, F-15s, F-16s, and F-18s.
The official said that Drills could take place over large distances, involving land, sea, air, and space.
