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IDF trains with US Marines to prepare them for ISIS
Israeli forces have conducted a joint training exercise alongside US Marines, with a focus on counter-terrorism techniques to help US forces tackle ISIS.
Israel’s Channel Two yesterday reported the exercise, code-named “Noble Shirley”. The live-fire drill, which took place in Israel’s southern Negev region involved the Marines’ Battalion Landing Team, 6th Marine Regiment and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, plus elite troops from Israel’s land, air and naval forces.
Channel Two said that the drill was partly aimed at US troops utilising the IDF’s counter-terrorism expertise. It included urban and tunnel warfare tasks, drilled helicopter landings behind enemy lines and simulated extractions under fire. In addition, the exercise also involved simulating a massive missile salvo. Israel’s David’s Sling medium-range anti-missile system was deployed during the simulation and was synchronised with US radar systems. An anonymous IDF official said that the system “performed very well”.
Earlier this year, Israel hosted the “Juniper Cobra” drill, during which the US European Command integrated the command and control systems of its Aegis Combat System, Terminal High Altitude Area Defence and Patriots, with Israel’s Arrow-3, David’s Sling and Iron Dome systems. The US has jointly developed Israel’s multi-layered missile defence programme, which is designed to combat the threat of short, medium and long-range missiles.
The future funding of the programme is one of two major sticking points which remain over a new ten-year US military aid package to Israel, which is expected to be finalised during the coming weeks. Until now, US Congress has decided annually on a separate amount for missile defence in addition to the overall military aid deal. Apparently, the US is willing to increase its missile defence allocation if Israel agrees to forgo this separate channel of funding.
The other outstanding point is a US request to phase out a current arrangement whereby Israel is permitted to spend up to 40 per cent of US military aid on defence purchases in Israel.