(NewsGlobal.com)- The Biden administration has made a military move that some will see as controversial, while others have already celebrated the decision.
Earlier this week, the White House elevated Israel in terms of military planning. It comes at a time when the U.S. is re-focusing its efforts from the “war on terror” to potentially combating military efforts from the “big four” countries of Iran, North Korea, Russia and China.
As a result of this move, the intelligence community in the U.S. is ramping up its Hebrew language program so that it can spy on its top ally in the Middle East.
The Abraham Accords established diplomatic relations between Israel and several countries in the Arab world. Yet, with combat ending in Iraq and Afghanistan, Biden administration officials are seeing this as a great opportunity to incorporate Israel into this new regional alliance.
A senior intelligence official commented recently:
“Israel is coming out of the closet, allowed now to openly cooperate with the [U.S.] military while at the same time being denied access to another closet.”
What the official was referring to was the full world of intelligence in the U.S.
The official explained that some things such as targeting include a back-and-forth exchange under this new military alliance. At times when the interests of Israel and the U.S. might take different paths though, the U.S. will redouble its collection efforts.
This includes examples such as counterintelligence against spying from Israel or potentially uncovering secrets about the nuclear arsenal that Israel has stockpiled.
The change in military planning as it relates to Israel was codified by President Joe Biden last year when he signed the Unified Command Plan. This plan is the highest-level document that determines each command’s operation plan.
In 2021, the plan shifted Israel over to CENTCOM, or the Central Command, which is responsible for the entire Middle East. Before then, Israel was part of EUCOM, or the European Command.
That command oversaw military dimensions of the relationship with Israel, including working with them to defend Israel in only very specific circumstances against some of its neighboring countries.
The previous system, according to the Pentagon, allowed CENTCOM to build Arab allies without worrying about complicating the relationship with Israel, which to many of these countries is a sworn enemy. At the same time, it segregated Israel from being able to formally partner with CENTCOM, as well as participating in contingency plans against common enemies of the two sides.
The command, which is based in Tampa, commented after they were handed responsibility for Israel:
“CENTCOM will now work to implement the U.S. Government commitment to a holistic approach to regional security and cooperation with our partners. The easing of tensions between Israel and its Arab neighbors subsequent to the Abraham Accords has provided a strategic opportunity for the United States to align key partners against shared threats in the Middle East. Israel is a leading strategic partner for the United States, and this will open up additional opportunities for cooperation with our U.S. Central Command partners while maintaining strong cooperation between Israel and our European allies.”
