The US European Command (EUCOM) said in a statement on Monday that the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system was ordered by acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan in March last year and was intended “as a demonstration of the United States’ continued commitment to Israel’s regional security.”
COMPATIBLE WITH ISRAEL’S EARLY-WARNING RADARS
The THAAD deployment is an exercise between the US Army and Air Force and Israel Defense Forces to build readiness and interoperability and demonstrate the capability of American forces to deploy air defense assets globally.
“THAAD is the most advanced integrated air and missile defense system in the world, and this deployment readiness exercise demonstrates that US forces are agile, and can respond quickly and unpredictably to any threat, anywhere, at any time,” the statement said.
The THAAD system was developed by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, and is meant for intercepting short and medium-range ballistic missiles. The system is also compatible with Israel’s early-warning radars.
The deployment comes a week after Israeli and US militaries wrapped up a week-long drill in Israel, simulating the deployment of American troops to aid in missile defense operations.