PRESS RELEASE: Report Says U.S. Should Leverage Israeli Air Base Built to U.S. Specs for Flexibility in Supporting Evolving Needs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 6, 2025
Contact: Blake Johnson
bjohnson@jinsa.org
Washington, DC – The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) today released a landmark report urging the United States to explore basing options at Israel’s Ovda Airbase, which is already built to U.S. standards. This will be a decisive step to enhance U.S. and Israeli freedom of action, reduce risks to American servicemembers, and strengthen shared deterrence.
The report, Base for Success, was drafted by a JINSA task force featuring retired U.S. Air Force generals Lt Gen Thomas Bergeson, Lt Gen Joseph Guastella, and Maj Gen Charles Corcoran, and outlines how the lessons of the recent 12-Day War and Operation Midnight Hammer underscore Israel’s unique ability to support U.S. interests and, unlike other Middle East countries, offer unrestricted access for U.S. forces.
The report recommends a “rheostat” approach that would begin with light-lift, low-cost U.S. prepositioning and rotational deployments, and scale up as needed.
“In an era of heightened strategic competition when the U.S. needs reliable access and more resilience in its force structure, Israel offers a warm base built to American standards,” said Corcoran. “This is a force multiplier. It assures allies, deters adversaries and enables partners to share responsibility for defending our collective interests.”
The report identifies several specific advantages for U.S. national security
- Unrestricted U.S. operational access—unique in the region and critical amid uncertain access at other regional bases.
- Reduced risks to U.S. forces and equipment, thanks to Israel’s multilayered air and missile defense architecture—the most advanced in the world.
- Enhanced power projection across the Middle East, Red Sea, Eastern Mediterranean, Horn of Africa, and other key areas where U.S. access is uncertain.
- Plug-and-play infrastructure already built to U.S. standards, minimizing cost and logistical burdens.
- Minimal footprint and maximum flexibility, aligned with the Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment (ACE) model.
- Stronger deterrence against Iran and reassurance to partners.
Crucially, the report notes that Ovda was originally designed with U.S. strategic requirements in mind: “The base meets the de facto U.S. gold standard… having been built to American specifications in the early 1980s to implement the Camp David Accords.”
This history, the report argues, makes Ovda uniquely suited to serve as a ready-made platform for American use—requiring minimal investment and no permanent troop presence.
“Israel has proven it is the most reliable and capable U.S. partner in the Middle East,” said JINSA Fellow for American Strategy Jonathan Ruhe. “American basing options in Israel would strengthen shared deterrence, increase U.S. operational flexibility, and reduce danger to our forces—without requiring permanent deployments or other commitments.”
As part of the rheostat model, JINSA recommends scaling up U.S. activities over time:
- Begin prepositioning munitions and support equipment at Ovda Airbase.
- Establish shared maintenance, logistics, and storage capabilities.
- Conduct rotational ACE deployments and joint exercises.
- Develop Ovda into a CENTCOM joint air and missile defense “center of excellence.”
As the United States recalibrates its military footprint in the Middle East while facing growing great-power competition, reliable, secure, and flexible access remains essential. Ovda offers the U.S. a trusted, strategically located platform to surge forces, deter adversaries, and protect global trade routes—without creating new security burdens or political commitments.
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