The United States and Israel began their most extensive joint military exercise to date on Monday. The “Juniper Oak” drills, which will last until Friday, aim to demonstrate and strengthen integration between the two countries’ militaries.
The exercises come at a time of increasing tension surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, though the official stated that the drills are not focused on any specific adversary and will not include mockups of Iranian targets.
The exercises will involve 6,400 U.S. forces, 142 aircraft, and a dozen ships, including nuclear-capable bombers, and will take place over vast distances, including land, sea, air, and space.
The U.S. official stated that the exercise is mostly meant to test the military’s ability to work together on a large scale against various threats.
The planning for the exercises began a couple of months ago, before Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regained office.
