Interesting quote from the Defense News article on the early warning radar system the US sent to Israel last week. [The radar will shave off several precious minutes of Israel's reaction time to an Iranian missile launch.]

This is the quote: A U.S. government source said the X-band deployment and other bilateral alliance-bolstering activities send parallel messages: “First, we want to put Iran on notice that we’re bolstering our capabilities throughout the region, and especially in Israel. But just as important, we’re telling the Israelis, ‘Calm down; behave. We’re doing all we can to stand by your side and strengthen defenses, because at this time, we don’t want you rushing into the military option.’”

Firstly, “bolstering our capabilities throughout the region” is interesting as it comes hot on the heels of the Russian – Syrian detente. Although to my knowledge nothing has been finalized, Syria has asked Russia to place missile systems on its soil. Following the Georgia crisis and the return of some Cold War vibes, this US move could be seen as matching [or preempting] Russian moves in the Middle East. Continue reading →