|
On a desert hilltop in the remote southwest of Israel stands acompelling argument against any notion that the Jewish state willlaunch an attack on Iran without the United States. The discreetcomplex atop Mt. Keren is a U.S. military installation, and the 100U.S. service members who staff it are the only foreign troopsstationed in Israel. Most are guards; a few are support. Thetechnicians are recognizable by the protective suits they wear toshield them from the extraordinary amounts of radiation generatedby the no less extraordinary apparatus the base is built around. The small, rectangular-shaped portable radar peeking around aconcrete blast wall is so advanced it can see over the horizon, andso sensitive it can spot a softball tossed in the air from 2,900miles away. (Tehran is a mere 1,000 miles away to the northeast.)On Mt. Keren, the X-band radar is indeed pointed northeast, towardIran, where it could detect a Shahab-3 missile launched towardIsrael just seconds into its flight — and six to seven minutesearlier than Israel would know from its own radar, called GreenPine. (LIST: Five Tips for President Obama on Nuclear Negotiations withIran) The extra time means a great deal. Six additional minutes increasesby at least 60% the time Israeli officials would have to soundsirens that will send civilians scrambling into bomb shelters. Italso substantially increases the chances of launching interceptorsto knock down the incoming missile before it reaches Israel, hikingthe likelihood its wreckage or warhead falls in, say, the wastes ofthe Jordanian desert rather than Israel's heavily populated coastalplain. And should the interceptor miss, the extra time might allowfor the launch of a second one. All this is possible, however, only if U.S. officials choose toshare the information, because only Americans have eyes on theradar. And if it's difficult to imagine a U.S. commander-in-chiefchoosing to withhold an early warning that could save civilianlives of a close ally, both sides recognize that if the Iranianmissiles were launched in retaliation for an Israeli air strike,the onus might be on the Israeli government that set such events inmotion. In any event, military officials and outside analysts saythat uncertainty can only inhibit any Israeli impulse to "go italone." The setting of the unmarked U.S. compound, in a stretch of desertbarely five miles from the Egyptian border, captures the situation.The state-of-the-art radar is tucked into a landscape buzzing withIsraeli military posts and training operations. Israeli infantrydrill on broken ground to either side of the road approaching thehilltop installation, which is surrounded by a chain link fence anda yellow metal gate. The guards who come out to meet visitors areplainclothes members of the Israeli Ministry of Defense agencyresponsible for security at Israel's most sensitive sites,including the Dimona nuclear facility to the north. (MORE: Why Netanyahu's Visit to Discuss Iran Puts Obama in aPolitical Minefield) Inside the wire, however, the chain of command is American. In theone-story building beside the radar, technically called theArmy-Navy Transportable Surveillance Radar, or AN/TPY-2, the dataflows first to technicians' readouts, then on to California, wherethe U.S. Missile Defense Agency also registers feeds fromsatellites and sea-borne sensors. If their computers recognize anascending fireball as a hostile missile launch, U.S. commanders maypass the information to their Israeli counterparts. The entire system is of course built on the assumption that theywill. The American and Israeli militaries have meshed their missiledefense systems so snugly that they operate a joint command center,located on an Israeli military base near Tel Aviv. The Arrowinterceptor missile that would be launched to knock down the attackis itself a joint-effort of the Pentagon and the Kirya, asIsraeli's defense headquarters is known. Come October, some 5,000American troops will travel to Israel for their largest jointexercise ever, one constructed entirely around missile defense. But the Israelis are keenly aware that, in this case, informationis power, and Washington has the right to withhold it. "We share alot, but there's a valve on the pipeline, and it's a one-wayvalve," says a Western military official involved in the program. The workaday reality of the U.S. radar — it has been operatingsince 2009 — also undercuts the notion of Israel launching asurprise attack on Iran that would also take Washington unawares.Not only does it see all traffic at Israeli air bases, it wouldcertainly detect any large scale or other unusual patterns,including preparations for a massive air assault. Allowing theAmericans that capability was a trade-off Israeli officialsconceded only grudgingly, as TIME reported when the radarinstallation was announced in 2008 . "It's about the United States hugging the Israelis," says anAmerican missile expert outside of government. The intense militarycooperation between Washington and Jerusalem, which both sidesagree is the closest it's ever been, not only helps assure Israel'ssecurity. It also tethers Israel's military to the Pentagon.Sometimes the benefits are frankly political: When Israel's IronDome anti-missile system won the heart of the Israeli public bydowning short-range rockets out of the Gaza Strip, sparing Israelicities, Congress quickly authorized $200 million to purchase ninemore. (MORE: What Lies? Beneath the Mysterious History of an IranianNuclear Site) But the X-band radar installation offers both obvious advantagesand what one Israeli official termed "golden handcuffs." "It's a very sophisticated, eye-watering type of system, with avery powerful capability of precision," says the U.S. missileexpert. "It was an X-band radar which was used in Operation BurntFrost when we shot down that satellite from an Aegis ship severalyears back that was in a low, decaying orbit. We didn't just hit abullet with a bullet, we hit a spot on a bullet." The Negev base was outfitted and staffed by the U.S. EuropeanCommand, which covers Israel. "For security reasons we can't talktoo much about that gadget," says Capt. John Ross, a EUCOMspokesman. Declining a TIME reporter's request to visit thefacility, the command insted issued a statement that seemscalculatingly bland, at least until the final sentence: "The UnitedStates and Israel have a long-standing partnership in addressingissues of regional and global security. Consistent with ourpartnership and with our commitment to the security of our partnersin the region and around the world, and at the request of theGovernment of Israel, the U.S. military has deployed a defensiveradar system to Israel to help maintain regional security andprovide a useful deterrent to any missile attacks. The Army NavyTransportable Surveillance Radar (or AN/TPY-2) is considered to beone of the most powerful systems available to track medium- tolong-range ballistic missiles. The AN/TPY-2 will remain U.S. ownedand operated." COVER STORY: Will Netanyahu Choose War or Peace?. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as Carpet Play Mat Manufacturer , Fabric Banner Stand Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Cardboard Counter Displays.
Related Articles -
Carpet Play Mat Manufacturer, Fabric Banner Stand Manufacturer,
|
