Washington Funds Secret Israeli Ballistic Missile Base

by Stephen Lendman

On June 3, McClatchy's foreign staff headlined "US publishes details of missile base Israel wanted kept secret." More on that below.

Last November 28, the Washington Post headlined "US overseeing mysterious construction in Israel." A previous article discussed it. Washington and Israel partner in imperial operations. Expensive projects are included. According to WaPo:

"The US Army Corps of Engineers plans to supervise construction of a five-story underground facility for an Israel Defense Forces complex…."

It's called "Site 911." It'll be built at an Israeli air force base near Tel Aviv. It's precise location is secret. Construction will take two years or longer.

Time frames are often extended. Cost is expected to be about 0 million. Expect double or more spent perhaps before completion.

The Israeli facility will "have classrooms on Level 1, an auditorium on Level 3, a laboratory, shock-resistant doors, protection from non-ionizing radiation, and very tight security."

"Clearances will be required for all construction workers. Guards will be at the fence, and barriers will separate it from the rest of the base."

Construction bids were due last December. Only US firms submitted them.

On February 13, Conti Corp. Federal Services won bidding rights. It'll build five underground levels and six above ground. Completion is scheduled for May 2015.

Washington funds numerous Israeli military facilities. Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent. Under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, America supplies weapons, munitions, and other defense related services. It does so to other nations and international organizations.

Sometimes they're sold. Other times they're given. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) administers FMS.

Washington was involved in many previous Israeli IDF construction projects. They're undertaken under FMS. The Corps of Engineers maintains three facilities in Israel.

From 1978 - 1982, it built Israel's Ramon and Ovda airbases. Doing so followed the 1978 Camp David Accords. Construction costs were about billion.

In 1983, Corp of Engineers completed Nevatim air base construction. It's one of Israel's largest.

About half a billion dollars in US military construction followed Israel's 1998 Wye River Memorandum with Palestine. Another half billion went for Israeli security measures. Palestine got smaller amounts.

Other US funded construction was for Israeli command centers, intelligence offices, underground hangers, and other projects.

McClatchy said "Israel's military fumed….over the discovery that (Washington) revealed details of a top-secret Israeli military installation in published bid requests."

Obama promised a state-of-the-art ballistic missile defense system. Officially it's for Israel's Arrow 3. Much more is involved. More on that below.

Details were published to permit contract bids. It's standard procedure. An unnamed Israeli military official responded, saying:

"If an enemy of Israel wanted to launch an attack against a facility, this would give him an easy how-to guide."

"This type of information is closely guarded, and its release can jeopardize the entire facility."

He declined to say if plans may change because of what's been known. He stopped short of explaining the facility's main purpose. It's for offense, not defense.

Israel's Iron Dome is more hype than fulfillment. It's far less effective than claimed. Arrow 3 may be no better. It's designed to intercept ballistic missiles. So-called missile defense is more hype than reality.

America's missile defense systems are for offense. So are Israel's. More on that below.

Jane's Defense Weekly first discussed Israel's planned facility. Arrow 3 includes six interceptors. They'll be in vertical launch positions. A gantry crane will erect further missiles. According to McClatchy:

"The structures encasing the interceptor system are to be constructed from high-grade concrete reinforced with steel mesh grids."

"They