Marines Move Forward with Iron Dome

In a critical step toward better integrating American and Israel defense platforms and reaping the benefits of U.S. investment in Israeli defense technology, the Marine Corps has approved a mobile air defense platform based on Israel’s battle-proven and incredibly successful Iron Dome to move onto the next stage of testing and certification for eventual acquisition. This is an important development after the U.S. Army had previously acquired two Iron Dome batteries and opted not to purchase any more. The other U.S. military services should follow the Marine Corps’ lead and integrate proven Israeli air defense and other technologies. The United States should also leverage the technological capabilities of its Israeli partner by pursuing joint development of critical defense technologies, particularly directed energy, and emphasize the ability for those capabilities to easily integrate with the U.S. military.

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