Britannia Radio

Prime Minister Netanyahu visits Juniper Cobra Exercise   IDF SPOKESPERSON ANNOUNCEMENT November 3rd, 2009 "This exercise, unique and large in scale, is an expression of the meaningful relations between Israel and the United States" -Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of the State of Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu made the statement during a visit to the combined IDF and United States (US) European Command (EUCOM) exercise, Juniper Cobra 10, at an Israel Air Force (IAF) base in central Israel, today, Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009. Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the exercise together with the Minister of Defense, Mr. Ehud Barak and the IDF Chief of the General Staff, Maj. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. The three were hosted by the combined IDF and EUCOM Exercise Control Group. Other participants in the visit were the United States Ambassador in Israel, Mr. James Cunningham, Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Mr. Pinchas Buchris, Commander of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, Commander of the IAF Air Defense Corps, Brig. Gen. Doron Gavish, and the US Joint Task Force (JTF) commander, Rear Admiral John M. Richardson. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense were briefed by Brig. Gen. Gavish and Rear Admiral Richardson regarding the exercise outline and methods of operation. They were also briefed about the American and Israeli systems used in the exercise, including alert systems, target identification, tracking and interception systems. During the visit, the participants were informed that the exercise will include a live fire component, and that the exercise involved a multi-layered active defense system. In addition, the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense and Chief of the General Staff visited the combined IDF and EUCOM situation room, where they were briefed on the different potential threats and the joint response which could be provided by the two militaries. Rear Admiral Richardson, the commander of the US JTF in Israel, told Prime Minister Netanyahu that the 1,400 American soldiers participating in the exercise are feeling at home in Israel and thanked the IDF Chief of the General Staff for hosting them. Prime Minister Netanyahu said during the visit that he was very impressed with the joint exercise, that it represents a new mission, and is an example of new technological cooperation in the battlefield. He added: "I think the IDF and the US Armed Forces are creating a new path, and the goal is to defend Israel. Overall, the goal is to ensure peace in the region, and maybe even farther from this region. This cooperation has great potential and is very impressive." The Minister of Defense, Mr. Ehud Barak, said during the visit: "This is a very good exercise, which follows a long period of preparation by the IDF and the Americans. We are watching an exercise of unprecedented scale that deals with real challenges that that we will have to face in the future and we had better be ready." The Minister expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the US government and President for their cooperation, in particular during the joint exercise. The IDF Chief of the General Staff said during the visit "This is a very important exercise dealing with the growing threat to the citizens of the State of Israel from the development of missiles in our region. The combined capability of Israel and the United States is constantly being developed, and together we will be able to improve the ability of the State of Israel to respond. I thank the IAF and our American colleagues for their cooperation over the years." At the end of the visit, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that "President Obama deserves our appreciation for the increasing level of cooperation which is intended to deal with the threat to the State of Israel and the entire world: the missile threat directed against the civilian population. The fact that the United States and Israel are harnessing the best minds and soldiers to find solutions to these problems is new, just like as the threat is new. My impression is that we have started on the right foot and I hope for both Israel and the US that the cooperation continues successfully." -------------------------------------------- IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis Website: www.imra.org.il