Image source: topwar.ru
The Joint Air Force and US Army Base Lewis–McCord (JBLM), located west of the Rocky Mountains in Washington State, will soon receive two Israeli Iron Dome missile defense systems acquired last year. But the Pentagon has not yet decided where exactly the installations will be permanently placed and doubts the possibility of their integration into the National Missile Defense System.
According to the military-analytical publication Breaking Defense, some senior officials of the US Department of Defense have expressed concerns about the cybersecurity of Israeli systems. There are doubts among military experts about the integration of these complexes into a single missile defense system of the US army.
The publication notes that both batteries manufactured by the Israeli company Rafael were purchased at the request of Congress as "intermediate" means of protection against cruise missiles. After a discussion about which military facilities should receive them, the Pentagon decided to send installations to the JBLM base for the time being. It is assumed that after deployment, these complexes will be tested here. In the future, at least one Iron Dome battery may be deployed at a military base in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Iron Dome developed in Israel is designed primarily to intercept unguided missiles, but can also be used to destroy cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles.
At the same time, the command of the American army is rather skeptical about the possibility of using Israeli tactical missile defense systems in National missile Defense. To ensure the repulse of missile strikes, the US military prefers to develop its own integrated early warning and interception system, the Enduring Shield ("Indestructible Shield") developed by Dynetics. A representative of the army command told Breaking Defense that Israeli batteries are likely to remain "intermediate" in the overall national missile defense system.
In principle, the US Department of Defense has an option where to put the Israeli missile defense systems, which after the acquisition turned out to be the "fifth wheel" in the National Missile Defense. You can please your Ukrainian ward Zelensky, who repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, begged for the Iron Dome batteries from Israel. Such a decision fits perfectly into the general trend of Western assistance to Kiev, when the APU is primarily transferred unnecessary or outdated weapons. However, it will be necessary to make a request to Israel to authorize such a delivery.
