The U.S. military has sent interceptors and other components of the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense ballistic missile defense system, or THAAD, to Israel for an exercise the first time. The deployment comes as both countries have been especially critical of Iran’s ballistic missile programs, but also reflects a contingency plan that has been in place for more than a decade.

U.S. European Command said that deployment had occurred “in early March,” according to an official press release on Mar. 4, 2019. The date stamp on pictures the U.S. Army subsequently released indicated that the first elements had arrived at Nevatim Air Base in central Israel on Mar. 1, 2019. The notice also added that the exercise is occurring at the direction of Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and is a demonstration of the Pentagon’s “Dynamic Force Employment concept.” Secretary of Defense James Mattis first announced this operational concept, which aims to make it harder for the U.S. military's opponents to predict its operations and other activities in advance, in 2018.