Warplanes, navy ships & munitions: The military aid that the US is sending to Israel

After Saturday’s devastating Hamas attack, US president Joe Biden vowed to offer its closest ally in the Middle East “rock-solid and unwavering” assistance. President Biden, his voice gripped with emotion, condemned the attack by calling it “an act of sheer evil.” In an interview with ABC News on Sunday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the Hamas attack a “massive terrorist attack," while adding, “We have immediately engaged our Israeli partners and allies. President Biden was on the phone with Prime Minister (Benjamin) Netanyahu early yesterday to assure him of our full support." As a show of support following the attack, Washington, which gives Israel approximately $3 billion (more than Rs 249 billion) in annual military aid, began moving warships and aircraft closer to Israel in order to be ready to provide the war-torn nation with whatever it needs to respond. Scores of aircraft are heading to US military bases around the Middle East. And special operations forces are now assisting Israel’s military in planning and intelligence. According to The Associated Press, a second US carrier strike group departs from Norfolk, Virginia, on Friday. The buildup reflects US concern that the deadly fighting between Hamas and Israel could escalate into a more dangerous regional conflict. So the primary mission for those ships and warplanes for now is to establish a force presence that deters Hezbollah, Iran, or others from taking advantage of the situation. But the forces the US sent are capable of more than that. Washington DC is also expediting the shipment of munitions and interceptors for Israel’s fight against Hamas. Here’s the US military support for Israel: Weapons and special operation forces The US is providing some personnel and much-needed munitions to Israel. Early on Monday, as Biden administration officials briefed congressional leaders and the heads of security-focused committees on the unexpected attacks by Hamas, Israel’s demand for more weapons came into sharper focus, according to two people familiar with the meeting. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced that a small cell of special operations forces was now assisting Israel with intelligence and planning. They have not been tasked with hostage rescue, contrary to some reporting, a defense official said, but could if they were requested to do so. [caption id=“attachment_13239822” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] An F/A-18 E is launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford during flight deck operations. AP[/caption] The US is also getting US defense companies to expedite weapons orders by Israel that were already on the books. Chief among those is getting munitions for Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system sped along. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that resupplying Iron Dome munitions and air defense systems was an immediate priority. The American leader said, “We’re surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome. We’re going to make sure that Israel does not run out of these critical assets to defend its cities and its citizens.” Iron Dome’s missiles target rockets that approach one of its cities. According to Raytheon, Israel has 10 Iron Dome systems in place to protect its cities. Beginning with Saturday’s attack, Hamas has fired more than 5,000 rockets at Israel, most of which the system has been able to intercept, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Raytheon produces most of the missile components for Iron Dome in the US, and the Army has two Iron Dome systems in its stockpile. According to Politico, Israel was also looking for more small-diameter bombs and artillery shells made in the United States, according to one of the persons aware of the conversation. An Al Jazeera report stated Israel has six distinct locations with pre-stocked US bombs worth $2 billion that can be utilised in an emergency.

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Navy ships and jets One of the most visible examples of the US response was the announcement Sunday by the Pentagon to redirect the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to sail toward Israel. The carrier had just completed an exercise with the Italian Navy when the ship and its crew of about 5,000 were ordered to quickly sail to the Eastern Mediterranean. According to AP, the carrier provides a host of options. It’s a primary command and control operations center and can conduct information warfare. It can launch and recover E2-Hawkeye surveillance planes, recognized by their 24-foot (7-meter) diameter disc-shaped radar. The planes provide early warnings on missile launches, conduct surveillance, and manage the airspace, detecting not only enemy aircraft but also directing the US movements. [caption id=“attachment_13239842” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Weapons personnel work on a weapons elevator on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford. AP[/caption] The Ford carries F-18 fighter jets that could fly intercepts or strike targets. The carrier also has significant capabilities for humanitarian work, including an onboard hospital with an ICU and emergency room and about 40 medics, surgeons, and doctors. It sails with helicopters that can be used to airlift critical supplies in or victims out. On Friday, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower carrier strike group will leave its homeport of Norfolk, Virginia, and sail for the Mediterranean, potentially doubling the Navy’s Israel response. The Eisenhower had already been scheduled to deploy to the Mediterranean on a regular rotation, and the Ford was near the end of its deployment. But the Biden administration may decide to extend Ford’s deployment and keep both strike groups out there, White House spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday. Air Force warplanes The Pentagon has also ordered additional warplanes to bolster existing squadrons of A-10, F-15, and F-16 squadrons at bases throughout the Middle East and is ready to add more if needed. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Tuesday at an Atlantic Council event that the service was doubling up by directing units that were about to come home to remain in place and stay there along with their replacements. The US Air Force already has significant airpower in the region to conduct manned and unmanned operations, most notably in Syria where an Air Force F-16 last week was ordered to shoot down a Turkish drone that was posing a threat to US ground forces operating there. Kendall also said US Air Force C-17s have landed in and departed from Israel since the attacks. The transport planes were picking up US military personnel who were there for a military exercise that hadn’t started yet when the attacks began, the Air Force said in a statement. Neither the Air Force nor Central Command would comment on what additional missions US airpower might take on in response to the conflict. The overlapping needs and other concerns Questions have been raised regarding whether Washington can enhance security assistance to Israel without compromising aid to Ukraine. This was in light of the ouster of House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy by Republican lawmakers and the failure to appoint a replacement so far. Officials in the Biden administration are sure that Washington can achieve both, however, they do admit that there will be challenges. Reuters explained Biden must persuade the Senate and House to approve legislation authorising additional funding because the US Congress controls spending. The majority party’s elected leader, the Speaker, decides which proposals are submitted for a vote in the House, where most of these spending bills are first introduced. McCarthy was removed from office this week due to a narrow Republican majority in the House (221-212), which allowed just a few of its members to do so. It is unclear whether Representative Patrick McHenry, who is functioning as the temporary speaker, can call a vote on any aid measure. To add more trouble, many of the hard-right lawmakers who forced McCarthy out of office, including Representative Jim Jordan, the front-runner for Speaker, oppose aid to Ukraine. House Republicans refused to include aid to Ukraine in a last-minute spending bill passed last month to avert a government shutdown, according to Reuters. Republicans, who are closely associated with conservative Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have far stronger support for Israel. The Biden administration is also thinking about linking a request for aid for Ukraine to increased money for Israel.

Since World War II, Israel is a major long-term recipient of US military assistance and enjoys a steady stream of US aid. The two countries agreed in 2016 on a 10-year deal with $38 billion covering annual grants to buy military equipment and a $5 billion missile defense appropriation. Ukraine’s major needs are ammunition, missile defense systems, and ground vehicles as it fights to take back territory from Russian invaders who launched an offensive in February 2022. The United States has sent $44 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the invasion started, asking Congress for several tranches of assistance, the last one approved in December 2022. If Congress approves financing to increase the long-term manufacturing capacity of American defense contractors, the two nations and Taiwan would profit. Additionally, this would alleviate worries that exports of American weapons endanger national security by potentially reducing American inventories. Israel-Palestine conflict The push to extend additional aid for Israel comes after the nation had a serious intelligence and military failure over the weekend, which led to a Hamas terrorist invasion of Israel on many fronts via land, air, and sea. The militants invaded kibbutzim in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip, brutally attacking civilians—including by beheading infants—and robbing hundreds of people of their lives. The war has already claimed at least 2,300 lives on both sides, according to AP. Over 22 Americans were killed in the attack and others were taken hostage. Militants in Gaza are holding an estimated 150 people taken hostage from Israel — soldiers, men, women, children, and older adults — and they have fired thousands of rockets into Israel over the past five days. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined with a top political rival Wednesday to create a wartime Cabinet to oversee the fight to avenge the gruesome weekend attack by Hamas militants. In the sealed-off Gaza Strip, Palestinian suffering mounted as Israeli bombardment demolished neighborhoods and the only power plant ran out of fuel. Netanyahu vowed  to “crush and destroy” Hamas. “Every Hamas member is a dead man,” he said in a televised address. With inputs from The Associated Press and Reuters