US, Israel team up for largest military drills to reaffirm strong alliance

The US and Israel launched their largest joint military exercise ever on January 23, sending a clear signal to Iran and underscoring the strength of their alliance despite concerns over the composition of the new Israeli government which includes ultra-nationalist and ultra-religious parties, per CNN.

The live-fire exercise, named Juniper Oak, will include 100 US aircraft with fighters, bombers and refuelling aircraft flying alongside 42 Israeli aircraft. The USS George H. W. Bush carrier strike group will also take part in the exercise, which will cover all the domains of warfare including space and electronic warfare.

“We can’t really find another (exercise) that even kind of comes close,” said a senior US defence official. Nearly 6,500 US personnel will participate in the exercise, as well as more than 1,100 Israeli personnel, according to him.

The exercise comes despite concern over the makeup of Israel’s new government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has appointed ministers once considered to be on the extreme nationalist fringes of Israeli politics including the far-right Otzma Yehudit party and the Noam party, which is opposed to LGBTQ rights.

The US official acknowledged the possibility of disagreements with the nascent government but stressed the non-negotiable bipartisan commitment to Israel.

“The security commitment that we have to Israel is irrespective of the particular personalities and particular government,” the US official said.

In December, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israel’s government will be gauged on its “policies and procedures, rather than individual personalities.”

The exercise comes as tensions between the US and Iran remain high. The Biden administration has introduced sanctions on Tehran following a brutal crackdown on protests in the country which have seen protesters executed. Negotiations for a new nuclear agreement have also stalled.

Netanyahu has consistently taken a hardline stance towards Iran, vowing upon the swearing-in of his new government to “thwart Iran’s effort to obtain nuclear weapons.”

As recently as on January 22, Netanyahu said the US and Israel would hold meetings on Iran in the coming weeks, following a visit from US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

“I was impressed that there is a genuine and mutual desire to reach understandings on this issue,” Netanyahu said at the meeting.