Monday, January 16, 2012

Israel needs $3.9B to fund Arrow plan: May Turn to U.S.

Amid controversial cuts in Israel's defense budget and concerns of new conflict in the Middle East, the Defense Ministry is grappling with the problem of funding costly plans to build a multi-layered shield against Iranian and Syrian ballistic missiles.

Ministry sources say, for instance, that $3.9 billion is needed to produce more batteries of the long-range, high-altitude Arrow anti-missile system built by Israel Aerospace Industries and the Boeing Co. of the United States.

In situations like this, particularly with the threat of war looming so large these days, it's possible that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's right-wing government will turn to the United States for financial support.

Netanyahu's relations with U.S. President Barack Obama have been strained of late, but providing funds to aid Israel's military could be a big boost for Obama's looming re-election campaign.

The United States provides Israel with $3 billion a year in military aid, as well as other indirect support.

More than half the $3 billion cost of developing and building the Arrow over the last decade was covered by Washington.
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NATO Missile Defense for Europe





NATO has agreed to provide ballistic missile defense or BMD for all of Europe. This NATO BMD will protect NATO (European and American) military forces in Europe as well as Israel. It will also – for the very first time – protect the civilian population throughout Europe from ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction launched from the Middle East.

Much of this NATO missile defense for Europe – known as the European Phased Adaptive Approach – will actually be provided by the United States armed forces. This will include seaborne AEGIS missile defense on board US Navy ships in the Mediterranean, as well as land based radars and interceptor missiles.

This e-book describes how NATO missile defense for Europe will be organized and implemented.