On Monday (Nov. 9), the IDF and the US European Command (EUCOM) concluded the Juniper Cobra 2010 (JC10) air defense exercise. The objective of the exercise was to improve the cooperation between IDF and EUCOM military forces. This exercise was the fifth of its kind; it is held every two years.
The preparations for JC10 began 18 months ago. Approximately 1,400 soldiers from the four services of the US military, and an equal number of IDF soldiers participated in the planning and the execution of the exercise.
The exercise, which began on Wednesday (Oct. 21), contained three main phases. The Field Training Exercise stressed the cooperation between Israeli and US forces in various drills throughout Israel. The computer simulation Command Post Exercise examined the interoperability of Israeli and US air defense systems.  And finally, the Live Fire Exercise tested both Israel and US air defense systems including the Patriot system.
All three phases were completed at the end of the two and a half week long exercise. IDF and EUCOM military observers were pleased with the results of JC10 and emphasized that the exercise enabled all participants to learn from each other's knowledge and experience.
The Commander of the Israel Air Force Air Defense Corps, Brig. Gen. Doron Gavish, commented: "During the Juniper Cobra exercise we applied active defense systems in cooperation with our counterpart and the Israeli forces. The exercise simulated challenging scenarios and the use of the most advanced weapons in the field. The exercise ended successfully. The professionalism of the forces and the level of cooperation between the two armies were reflected in the way the forces operated. From an operational standpoint, the exercise and the learning process that took place during the exercise constitute another step in the level of readiness of these systems." 
The Commander of the US Joint Task Force, Rear Admiral John M. Richardson, said: "During the past two weeks, our two forces have stood together and fought through a very challenging scenario. We have brought together new technologies and new procedures. We learned some very valuable lessons and had a tremendous result. I want to thank the Israeli people, and especially the Israel Defense Forces, for their hospitality and cooperation."
In addition to that, the commander of the EUCOM, Admiral James G. Stavridis, wrote an open letter to the Israeli public, stating the following: "A good example of our alliance is the military exercise Juniper Cobra, which is a bi-annual collaborative training event that prepares approximately 1,000 personnel from the Israel and U.S. air, sea and land forces to work together to protect against missile threats.  You can be proud of the superb efforts by the men and women of your armed forces in what was an intense and in-depth three-week training endeavor.  Our years of progress and strength show our shared commitment towards a stable Middle East."