U.S. and Israeli military forces have just completed Exercise Juniper Cobra 2018, a joint ballistic missile exercise.
Approximately 2,500 American personnel and 2,000 Israeli personnel participated in the exercise, according to the Department of Defense.
The commander for Joint Task Force Israel, U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark, hailed the exercise for deepening ties between the American and Israeli militaries.
"It was an honor to lead this team of true professionals through completion of U.S. European Command’s top priority exercise for 2018," Clark said.
"Juniper Cobra 2018 proved to be an incredibly challenging and realistic scenario, requiring trust, communication and collaboration with our Israeli partners," Clark said. "The relationships built over the last two weeks help bolster our interoperability and pave the path for future engagements and exercises."
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and other leaders from both militaries observed the exercises at times.
The exercise, which began in January, included both live activities and computer simulations. The Juniper Cobra exercises occur once every two years. 2018 was the ninth the two nations conducted.