Israel and U.S. Missile Defense Exercise Counters Iran

WASHINGTON, November 23 - Riki Ellison, President and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy
Alliance (MDAA) www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org discusses the relevance of the
largest joint U.S. - Israeli missile defense exercise held earlier this month
in respect to the volatility of the current and future situation in Iran and
the rest of the Middle East. His comments are below:

"During the early part of this month, 1,400 soldiers and personnel from
the U.S. European Combat Command and 1,400 Israeli soldiers from the Israel
Defense Force deployed in Israel with the most current missile defense weapon
platforms successfully exercised in a joint integrated forces mission to
defend Israel from the current and future threats of Lebanon, Syria, and
Iran. This was the largest missile defense force ever assembled between the
two countries to perform a missile defense exercise. The missile defense
systems and architecture deployed in this mission by the United States
represented the current missile defense architecture for Europe. The
interoperability between the Israel missile defense systems and those of the
United States acting as one cohesive unit both tactically and strategically
was the main objective of the mission. The firing solutions of these missile
defense systems to adequately protect and defend Israel present significant
challenges as Israeli soldiers cannot authorize the use and fire of U.S.
systems and vice-versa. These challenges along with operational readiness and
war fighter proficiency were successfully demonstrated, leaving Israel and
the United States the most confident they have ever been in their joint
ability to protect and defend Israel from a missile attack."

"As Iran demonstrated yesterday with their publicly announced war
exercises against Israel, this U.S./Israeli joint exercise comes at a pivotal
time in the Middle East when Iran has backed off President Obama and his
administration's request on exporting enrichment of uranium to the U.S. or
France and when Israeli Special forces recently intercepted the ship
'Francop' suspected of carrying Russian missile parts for the Russian S-300s
a surface-to-air missile and air defense system. Iran has purchased the
S-300s from Russia for most likely air defense of their nuclear sites housing
centrifuges and missile fields from the Israeli Air Force."

"Having demonstrated confidence in a large interoperable missile defense
force that combines U.S. and Israeli intercept missiles, sensors, systems and
soldiers provide immense security and stability to the region and its
inhabitants to include the populations and deployed forces located there.
This allows the diplomatic inroads, international sanctions and pressures to
continue to bear on Iran without fear or credibility of a military missile
strike. This substantial missile defense demonstration also brings forth
considerable messages to Iran on investment into missile systems. However,
Israel can also look at this demonstration as giving the Israeli public more
confidence they can withstand a Iranian missile strike and may choose to be
the aggressor if U.S. diplomacy fails and before Iran has enrichment
capability and deployment of Russian S-300s are in place defending those
nuclear centrifuge sites or missile fields."

"The U.S. Missile Defense Systems used in the mission included the a U.S.
Aegis Missile Defense capable ship in the port of Haifa, a THAAD Battery, a
AN/TPY-2 Forward-based X-Band Radar, two Patriot 3 batteries and the battle
management C2BMC out of EUCOM in Germany."

"The Israeli missile defense systems used in the mission included Israeli
purchased Patriot 2 batteries, the Israeli Arrow 2 block 4 missile defense
systems including the Green Pine and Super Green Pine radars with their fire
control systems and yet to be deployed Israel/US joint David Sling, a
ground-based air-to-air missile defense system for short-range missiles and
rockets."

"The United States Government with Congressional and Presidential
approval continues to fund Israel missile defense requests as 2010 budget
request will provide around US$200 million to Israel for missile defense."

"Unlike anywhere else in the world Israel has and continues to be under
consistent rocket and missile attack, they have a duty to protect their
citizens and country. The United States has the responsibility to protect its
friends and allies from harm."

Barbara Maxwell of MDAA, +1-703-299-0060. NOTE TO EDITORS: Riki Ellison is available for interviews. Call Barbara Maxwell at +1-703-299-0060 to arrange.