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US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman: â€œThe US and Israel will hold joint military exercisesâ€

02 July 2012 12:03 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Konul Jafarli â€“ APA. The top U.S. military officer says the U.S. and Israel will hold a major missile defense exercise in October. APA reports quoting AP that Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Martin Dempsey told reporters at the Pentagon on Friday that he is unfamiliar with exact details but that the postponed exercise is expected to take place in October.

The exercise is designed to test multiple Israeli and U.S. air defense systems against incoming missiles and rockets from places as far away as Iran. Some 3,000 US soldiers are to participate, alongside thousands of Israeli troops. The drill will simulate missiles being fired at Israel from Iran and Syria simultaneously, with potentially tens, if not hundreds, of rockets mid-air at the same time. Israel will test its upgraded Arrow 2 defense system, while the US will deploy the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and PAC-3 Patriot air defense platforms.