US Missile Shield: Farewell Gift from Bush to "Israel"
Source: Al-Manar TV, 24-08-2008
A commander and two operators monitor missile radars in an armored trailer somewhere in Europe. Inside, they use satellite technology to track the origin and trajectory of long-range missiles. In true American fashion, each shift begins with calisthenics, followed by an intelligence briefing, Haaretz said.
That is the envisioned routine of the U.S. team that will be responsible for protecting ‘Israel' from surface-to-surface missiles launched from Iran or Syria, the ‘Israeli' daily added.
Earlier this month the U.S. and Israel agreed on the deployment of a high-powered early-warning missile radar system in the Negev, to be staffed by U.S. military personnel. The station will receive information from the U.S. team in Europe that will aid it in its work.
According to Haaretz, the deployment of the Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) system, is widely seen as a kind of parting gift from Washington to Jerusalem as President George W. Bush prepares to leave office.
"The system will protect ‘Israel's' skies from missile attacks, but the flip side of the deal is that ‘Israel's' freedom of action against Iran or Syria will be significantly curtailed. ‘Israel' will be required to obtain U.S. permission for any such operation, since it would endanger the lives of the U.S. personnel operating the system. The ground station itself would likely become the target of any reprisal attack by Iran or Syria."
Senior defense officials told Haaretz that the radar system deployment as a signal of Washington's opposition to an ‘Israeli' strike on Iran's nuclear program.
"The Negev station would be operated by civilian firms contracted by the Pentagon, along with a small staff of liaison officers. The early warning station is expected to be transferred to ‘Israeli' operation at some point in the future," sources in Jerusalem told the daily.
The officials said the agreement does not stipulate the establishment of a permanent U.S. base in ‘Israeli' territory.
‘Israel's' current missile defense system depends on the identification of a single U.S. satellite, which can spot the missile itself but not its origin or path.
The new system is significantly more accurate than ‘Israel's' "Green Pine" radar system, which supports the Arrow anti-missile system.
JTAGS will cost between $20 and $30 million, the U.S. periodical Defense News reported last week.
The system is expected to be set up next year, but it could go on-line earlier, ahead of a large-scale U.S.-‘Israeli' missile defense drill slated for this fall.
The deployment of the system comes after the Georgia-Russia crisis took a dramatic turn and found itself heading towards another possible cold war. It also comes after ‘Israel' admitted making a mistake by aiding Tbilisi militarily thus prompting Moscow to give Syria modern missile systems.
A commander and two operators monitor missile radars in an armored trailer somewhere in Europe. Inside, they use satellite technology to track the origin and trajectory of long-range missiles. In true American fashion, each shift begins with calisthenics, followed by an intelligence briefing, Haaretz said.
That is the envisioned routine of the U.S. team that will be responsible for protecting ‘Israel' from surface-to-surface missiles launched from Iran or Syria, the ‘Israeli' daily added.
Earlier this month the U.S. and Israel agreed on the deployment of a high-powered early-warning missile radar system in the Negev, to be staffed by U.S. military personnel. The station will receive information from the U.S. team in Europe that will aid it in its work.
According to Haaretz, the deployment of the Joint Tactical Ground Station (JTAGS) system, is widely seen as a kind of parting gift from Washington to Jerusalem as President George W. Bush prepares to leave office.
"The system will protect ‘Israel's' skies from missile attacks, but the flip side of the deal is that ‘Israel's' freedom of action against Iran or Syria will be significantly curtailed. ‘Israel' will be required to obtain U.S. permission for any such operation, since it would endanger the lives of the U.S. personnel operating the system. The ground station itself would likely become the target of any reprisal attack by Iran or Syria."
Senior defense officials told Haaretz that the radar system deployment as a signal of Washington's opposition to an ‘Israeli' strike on Iran's nuclear program.
"The Negev station would be operated by civilian firms contracted by the Pentagon, along with a small staff of liaison officers. The early warning station is expected to be transferred to ‘Israeli' operation at some point in the future," sources in Jerusalem told the daily.
The officials said the agreement does not stipulate the establishment of a permanent U.S. base in ‘Israeli' territory.
‘Israel's' current missile defense system depends on the identification of a single U.S. satellite, which can spot the missile itself but not its origin or path.
The new system is significantly more accurate than ‘Israel's' "Green Pine" radar system, which supports the Arrow anti-missile system.
JTAGS will cost between $20 and $30 million, the U.S. periodical Defense News reported last week.
The system is expected to be set up next year, but it could go on-line earlier, ahead of a large-scale U.S.-‘Israeli' missile defense drill slated for this fall.
The deployment of the system comes after the Georgia-Russia crisis took a dramatic turn and found itself heading towards another possible cold war. It also comes after ‘Israel' admitted making a mistake by aiding Tbilisi militarily thus prompting Moscow to give Syria modern missile systems.
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