The independent state of Israel...

joanna bujes joanna.bujes at ebay.sun.com
Thu Aug 2 12:41:43 PDT 2001


The independent state of Israel would like to permanently base some Israeli fighter jets in the US. I note in passing that the only other country that has planes permanently based in the US is Germany.

The following was published in today's Haaretz.

Joanna B.

___________________________________________________

WASHINGTON - Israel has asked the United States to permanently base some Israeli

fighter jets at a U.S. Air Force base in America for combat training of Israeli pilots, officials

of the two countries said Wednesday.

They told Reuters that Washington was considering the request to station a contingent of

Israeli jets at a U.S. base but that no decision had been made.

Such an agreement would be another sign of long and close military cooperation between

the U.S. and Israel. Germany has a contingent of its fighter jets based at Holloman Air

Force Base in New Mexico and rotates pilots there for training. Other U.S. allies, including

Canada and Britain, periodically send warplanes to the United States for exercises and

pilot training.

The Israeli request is for a permanent presence, such as the Germans have had at

Holloman, in which pilots would be sent to join aircraft, according to U.S. and Israeli

officials.

Israel Radio reported Thursday that Israeli officials said the reason for the request was

the extremely limited air-space in which Israel's pilots have to train.

"We have received a request and it is under consideration," Pentagon spokesman Bryan

Whitman said in response to questions about the Israeli basing, which was first reported

by Jane's Defense Weekly.

"There has been a request," said Israeli Embassy spokesman Mark Regev. "Israel is a very small country geographically, as small as some of the smaller American states, and for

training purposes it would be most useful to have an opportunity to do that together with

the U.S. military in the United States," Regev told Reuters.



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