The following was published in today's Haaretz.
Joanna B.
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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.