File photo of the THAAD launcher. BBC/AFP.
The Biden administration is deploying 100 troops to Israel to operate a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery. BBC. Joe Biden said the move is to defend Israel which recently came under attack from Iran. Israel is rumored to be targeting Iran in another tit-for-tat strike in response to Iran's attack, which was in response to several attacks on Hezbollah by Israel. It is unclear why the THAAD battery is being deployed, Israel has a well developed air defense system including their own anti-ballistic missile systems, the Arrow-2 and Arrow-3's. However, several of Iran's ballistic missiles appeared to pass through these systems and Israel's Iron Dome system, raising questions about the effectiveness of the system and fears Israel is running out of weapons. The US has assisted Israel in shooting down missiles before, mostly using their ships posted in the Red Sea, but this is the first time US forces would be deployed in Israel. The THAAD battery consists of six trucks armed with 48 missiles and costs a billion dollars and requires 100 troops to operate them.
My Comment:
Though most Americans support Israel, I get the feeling that this deployment will be unpopular. The most recent polling I have seen on this issue says 56% of Americans are opposed to sending troops to Israel if they are attacked by Iran. That poll was from August so it's possible things have changed since then.
The small scale of the deployment could change things. There are only 100 troops in this deployment and it's unlikely they will be targeted directly. The Russians have become effective at targeting anti-air systems in Ukraine but I don't think Iran is on that level. It's unlikely that these troops will be attacked and if they are it's unlikely anyone will be injured or killed.
Will one battery make much of a difference? I guess it could. The last attack Iran pulled was 180 ballistic missiles so 48 missiles wouldn't be enough to intercept them all. But with the fleet in the Red Sea and Israel's own formidable defenses it should help. But it's going to be a one shot deployment unless we are going to send replacement missiles. And these weapons aren't cheap, it's a $1 billion for the whole system. Some of that is the vehicles and computers but the missiles themselves aren't cheap at $12.6 per missiles. This could get pretty costly for the United States quickly.
I also think that this deployment is a pretty big hint that Israel is going to respond to Iran's missile attack. They have been pretty cagey and are obviously distracted by their invasion in Lebanon, which appears to have been fairly low key so far. But a response looks like it is going to happen. And when it does, depending on what form it is, Iran is likely to launch another attack, especially if Israel targets their nuclear and energy production.
There's a real fear that there is going to be a large scale war. But I also fear that this will just be the status quo in the Middle East. Neither Israel or Iran are really powerful enough to destroy each other unless they use nuclear weapons, and maybe not even then. Cooler heads have to prevail but right now they are stuck in a cycle of revenge, both sides have to respond or lose a lot of face.
Which is why I am mostly opposed to this deployment. Though I am more sympathetic to Israel than their enemies, I do not support sending troops there. We don't really need to get involved in a cycle of revenge that could just go on forever now. If Israel wants our THAAD batteries they should buy it from us, not have them given to them.
I am also worried about how much of our weapons we are expending for questionable purposes. We already have deployed so many of our best weapons to Ukraine that it will take years, maybe even decades, to build up our weapons. And now we are sending our best anti-ballistic missiles to Israel? How are we ever going to rebuild our weapons if we are burning through them this fast?
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