U.S. Central Command and the Israel Defense Forces concluded Juniper Oak, the largest U.S.-Israel partnered exercise in history the last week of January 2023.  

Juniper Oak is an “all domain” exercise that integrated U.S. and Israeli fifth generation fighter assets, the USS George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, command and control elements, and rescue and refueling aircraft during a long-range exercise that included live fires with more than 140 aircraft including B-52s, F-35s, F16s, FA-18s, and High Mobility Rocket Artillery Systems. 

The U.S. and Israeli partnership is key to expanding regional security cooperation. This exercise was intended to demonstrate that the U.S. can rapidly deploy massive firepower to the region even as it shifts its focus away from the Middle East and towards the Pacific and Europe. 

While the U.S. military has reoriented itself towards Europe and the Pacific after 20 years of focusing on counterinsurgency operations in the Middle East, U.S. defense officials and military leaders have sought to assure allies the U.S. is still a reliable partner in the region and that if the U.S. and its allies work together more, it can make up for the smaller day-to-day presence in the Middle East.  

Photos: US-Israel Conclude Massive Exercise with F-35s, B-52s, and More | Air & Space Forces Magazine (airandspaceforces.com)