Pentagon says US plans to give Israel $70 million more for missile defense this year
May 17, 2012 :: Washington Post :: News
The U.S. plans to give Israel the extra $70 million that Jerusalem asked for this year for short-range missile defense, officials said Thursday. (More »»»)
» More stories on: Budget, Israel
Israel to receive over $900 million for anti-missile systems
May 14, 2012 :: News
Barak and Panetta will announce the funding of Iron Dome and other rocket defense platforms. (More »»»)
» More stories on: Israel, Budget
House subcommittee set to OK $1 billion for Israel anti-missile programs
May 7, 2012 :: JTA :: News
The U.S. House of Representatives defense appropriations subcommittee is set to approve nearly $1 billion for Israeli and joint Israeli-U.S. missile defense programs. (More »»»)
» More stories on: Israel, Budget
Israel¡'s Iron Dome Gets Boost in U.S. Panel's Budget Plan
April 25, 2012 :: Bloomberg :: News
Israel's Iron Dome missile-defense system stands to gain as much as $680 million in U.S. aid under a proposal by a congressional panel. (More »»»)
» More stories on: Israel, Budget
» Missile system details for: Mini Raz MMR (EL/M-2084)
Iron Dome effective but more are needed
April 24, 2012 :: Analysis
In all-out war, Israel needs a multi-layer defense system including the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3, Magic Wand and Iron Dome. (More »»»)
» More stories on: Israel
» Missile system details for: Mini Raz MMR (EL/M-2084)
Israel Starts Building a Third Arrow 2 Battery
October 25, 2010 :: Jerusalem Post :: News
Adding to its two existing Arrow 2 interceptor sites in the North and the South, Israel is building a third site near centrally located Tel Aviv. The central location will provide more coverage; additionally, the new control system for the new battery will operate as a backup fire-control for the other two sites. The Arrow 2 system is Israel's defense against longer-range missiles from Syria or Iran; the other layers of Israel's missile defense include David's Sling (medium-range and cruise) and Iron Dome (short-range).
Israel and the U.S. are currently developing an Arrow 3 interceptor, which will allow for targeting at higher altitudes and greater distances. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Israel
» Missile system details for: Arrow
Israeli Missile Defense Test Success
April 29, 2009 :: AP :: News
On April 7, the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency conducted a successful test of the "Arrow" ballistic missile defense system. The system—a joint venture of Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd. and Boeing—was started as a response to the U.S. military's inability to intercept Scud rockets fired on Israel by Iraq in the 1991 Gulf War.
The Arrow system, designed to intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, has been tested 17 times since its inception; the missile used in this latest test was the Arrow II. Israel's dominating security concern right now is the possibility of an attack by Iran, particularly in the form of a Shahab class ballistic missile. The Shahab-III has a range of up to 1,250 miles, which puts Israel within reach.
Rick Lehner of the Missile Defense Agency called the test evidence of "the most advanced version of the Arrow weapons system in terms of the ability to perform the type of intercept that would be necessary to destroy a ballistic missile target." (Article, Link)
» Boeing's Press Release
» More stories on: Israel
» Missile details: Shahab 3
» Missile system details for: Arrow
North Korea Linked to Destroyed Syrian Nuclear Reactor
April 24, 2008 :: New York Times :: News
Today the White House will announce that the North Koreans had been working at a Syrian nuclear reactor until it was destroyed last September in an Israeli airstrike, reports the New York Times. This discovery, based on video evidence, comes after a seven-month clandestine investigation. U.S. and Israeli senior officials believe that the strike targeted a fledgling nuclear reactor modeled after the North Korean reactor used for attaining fuel for its weapons system.
The site was destroyed by Israeli jets on September 6. After protesting, the Syrians bulldozed the site and erected a building on the area formerly holding the reactor. They have routinely denied access to international nuclear weapons inspectors.
The State Department finds the White House’s timing in declassifying this information suspicious. Some have suggested that the administration’s declassification is aimed at undermining a deal with the North Koreans that would allow it to be removed from the list of nations sponsoring terrorism.
One senior White House official has said, off the record that, “Making public the pictures is likely to inflame the North Koreans. And that’s just what opponents of this whole arrangement want, because they think the North Koreans will stalk off.” Another official claims that perhaps this new information will force North Korea to more fully divulge its projects in Syria with the disclosure of details pertaining to its nuclear activities.
The deal in question is being brokered by the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Christopher R. Hill, who is acting as the primary liaison with North Korea, and has suddenly become the latest point of contention in a seven-year battle within the Bush Administration over foreign policy as it relates to North Korea. That policy has evolved from attempting to pressure North Korea in hopes of collapsing Kim Jong-il’s government, to negotiating with North Korea along with Russia, China, South Korea and Japan—each of whom has pursued a unique strategy in solving the problem of North Korea.
Christopher Hill was charged with the task of determining a new strategy for dealing with the North Koreans more than three years ago. With dwindling support, Hill has struggled, and senior officials have reported that President Bush has overtly admonished his aides against pursuing any policy that “makes [him] look weak.” Vice President Cheney’s office has argued that Hill’s proposal would be too big a concession—in exchange for a perfunctory declaration form the North Koreans regarding its plutonium production, it would be removed from the list of nations sponsoring terrorism and therefore no longer subject to economic sanctions under the Trading With the Enemy Act. Still, the North Koreans have failed to volunteer information pertaining to its involvement with Syria and its plans to begin building arms using uranium. Hill’s deal would allow the North Koreans to continue on in relative secrecy. It would allow them to leave unexplained its purchase of uranium enrichment materials from Pakistan—materials and equipment that experts believe was obtained to help North Korea engineer another road to a nuclear bomb if it were forced to abandon its plutonium program.
Today American intelligence officials will, in a presentation to members of Congress, show videos of Koreans working among employees at a Syrian plant. Mr. Hill has already shown this footage to senior South Korean officials. Other pictures illustrate what seems to be the construction of a reactor vessel inside the very building later destroyed in the Israeli strike of September.
Officials have heretofore refused to speak about the September attack. Christopher Hill has found little support among his colleagues, including his boss, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who has sharply criticized the 1994 agreement between North Korea and the Clinton Administration for its “front loaded” rewards system for the North. Critics are saying something very similar of Mr. Hill’s proposed deal. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Israel, Syria
Israel Tests Ballistic Missile
January 17, 2008 :: Ha'aretz :: News
Israel today announced the successful test launch of a ballistic missile capable of carrying an "unconventional" warhead, presumably nuclear. The missile was launched from the Palmachim military base near Jerusalem, where some 90 Jericho II missiles are believed to be stationed, according to Jane's Strategic Weapons Systems. The identity of the missile was not released. The Israeli Defense Force's brief press release on the test only described it as a "two-stage" missile. The purpose of the test was described as "testing missile propulsion." Israel has been believed to have had for several years the Jericho II missile with a range of 1500 km, and to be developing a Jericho III missile with a possible range between 4,800 and 6,500 km. The Jericho III was at one time expected to be in service by 2008, but has also been previously reported as having three stages. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: Testing - Foreign, Israel
» Missile details: Jericho 2, Jericho 3
PINR on Israel's Proposed Iron Dome Defenses
November 11, 2007 :: Analysis
The November 9 edition of Power and Interest News Report provides a detailed analysis of the Israeli Iron Dome project and its relationship with the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The Iron Dome is a planned missile defense system specifically designed to intercept short-range Katyusha and Qassam missiles. The article argues that without an effective defense against short range missiles, peace between the two sides will remain illusive.
Katyusha and Qassam rockets are easily manufactured, costing only several dollars to build. While not particularly lethal, the rockets inflict a serious toll on the Israeli public.
Katyusha rocket makes up 90 percent of Hezbollah's rocket arsenal and has a range of approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles)... During July-August 2006, Hezbollah fired approximately 4,000 Katyusha rockets into Israel, killing 51 Israelis and seriously wounding another 250. Rockets destroyed or severely damaged 2,000 homes, while between 100,000-250,000 civilians fled, at least temporarily, from the north to other parts of Israel. Qassam rockets... are less destructive than Katyushas and have a general range of only three to ten kilometers (1.8-6.2 miles), they are cheap and easy to make, making them the weapon of choice for militants launching attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip... Qassams have had their most significant impact on the town of Sderot... One third of Sderot's children suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a survey carried out last year, while around half of the population of Sderot has left the town since the rocket attacks intensified.
Militarily, as air strikes have been ineffective in stopping the rocket attacks, military leaders are left with the prospect of reoccupying the Gaza strip or other territories to halt the attacks. So long as the missile attacks continue, the likelihood of war increases and the prospects for peace diminish. Therefore, former Prime Minister and current Defense Minister Ehud Barak argues for the Iron Dome which could remove the threat of rocket attacks from the political equation as negotiations continue. However, the Iron Dome faces significant technical and economic challenges.
It will have to be able to identify the launch of a rocket, analyze the data and feed it to the intercepting missile for launch, all within 20 seconds, the flight time of a Qassam. While it may be possible to surmount the technological obstacles to achieving this, it may not be possible to do so at a reasonable cost... Each interceptor missile will cost between $30,000 and $50,000. The rockets that they will intercept, however, cost only a few dollars to make. Some analysts fear that reliance on Iron Dome may lead to a costly arms race, in which Palestinian militants and Hezbollah would have the advantage.
While the system would be costly to maintain, advocates state it would be less expensive than a prolonged war with the Palestinians and the cost of rebuilding damaged areas of the country. Additionally, if Israelis are confident in the effectiveness of their missile defense system, they may be more willing to make the territorial concessions necessary to create a Palestinian state.
The article concludes, "An anti-rocket system will have to form just one part of Israel's broader defenses against irregular warfare if it is to provide Israel with the security needed to allow it to make the territorial compromises that are probably necessary for peace."
(Article, Link)
» More stories on: Analysis, Israel
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