Will THAAD deployment make Israel complacent?
Dr. Aaron Lerner 13 October 2024

With the deployment of the American operated THAAD (Terminal High Altitude
Area Defense) systems in Israel, I am reminded of the warning I published on
January 27, 2008 about Iron Dome
https://www.imra.org.il/story.php?id=37890

Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: There are two fundamentally different visions of
the purpose of a rocket defense umbrella:

Concept #1: The enemy can be essentially allowed to fire rockets 24/7 at
Israeli targets because they are intercepted.

Concept #2: The IDF can carry out operations against the enemy with the
enemy's ability to retaliate against Israel's civilian population
dramatically limited.

In the first case, life is still pretty miserable for Israelis with rockets
blowing up all the time and the enemy taking advantage of the Israeli
avoidance of ground activity to develop answers to the Israeli equipment
(e.g. shoot enough rockets at the same time that are aimed well enough that
most of them will in fact land inside a populated area so that the Israeli
umbrella temporarily runs out of supplies).

I fear that the THAAD provides us with two similar options regarding Iran:

#1. Sit back because we have an upgraded multi-layered shield to protect us
from Iranian attacks.

#2. Attack Iran because we have an upgraded multi-layered shield to protect
us from Iranian counterattacks.

====
Release
Immediate Release
Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder on the Deployment of a THAAD Battery to Israel
Oct. 13, 2024
https://www.defense.gov/News/Releases/Release/Article/3934493/statement-by-pentagon-press-secretary-maj-gen-pat-ryder-on-the-deployment-of-a/

At the direction of the President, Secretary Austin authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of U.S. military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1. The THAAD Battery will augment Israel's integrated air defense system. This action underscores the United States' ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran. It is part of the broader adjustments the U.S. military has made in recent months, to support the defense of Israel and protect Americans from attacks by Iran and Iranian-aligned militias.

This is not the first time the United States has deployed a THAAD battery to the region. The President directed the military to deploy a THAAD battery to the Middle East last year following the October 7th attacks to defend American troops and interests in the region. The United States previously deployed a THAAD battery to Israel in 2019 for training and an integrated air defense exercise.

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