Ohio National Guard aids IDF in two-week military exercises

By MARILYN H. KARFELD, Cleveland Jewish News

Nine soldiers from the Ohio Army National Guard have joined 1,000 U.S. troops and the Israeli Defense Forces in joint military exercises in the Mediterranean Sea that include preparation for an Iranian missile attack on Israel.

The major air defense drill, called Juniper Cobra 10, includes a simulated missile attack against Tel Aviv, reported Ohio National Guard Public Affairs.

In the two-week maneuvers, which began Oct. 21, the American units will strengthen Israel’s missile defense system by meshing ground-and-ship-based missile interceptors with

Israel’s ballistic shield, Ha’aretz newspaper reported.

As part of the drill, rescue units of the Israeli Home Front Command (HFC) will practice a quick response to a missile attack on Israel, including missiles armed with chemical or biological warheads, Ha’aretz said. That’s where the Ohio National Guard comes in.
The nine Ohioans, part of the Ohio Army National Guard’s Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force (CERF), the top-rated unit of its kind in the U.S., have been observing and participating in training with the Israeli HFC Search and Rescue School.

Initial training for the Ohioans included HFC displays of troop and vehicle decontamination lines as well as demonstration of U.S. and Israeli nuclear, biological and chemical detection equipment, the Ohio National Guard reported.

“This is the first year the National Guard will really have boots on the ground for operations,” said Maj. Kevin Meislin, the National Guard Bureau operations officer. Previous National Guard involvement in the biennial U.S.-IDF exercises has been limited to the staff level.