US military forces have begun arriving in Israel to take part in their largestever joint missile defense exercise, which will begin next week.

US-Israel joint defense drill to scheduled

One thousand American soldiers  in Israeli territory and a further 2,000 US troops in Europe and the United States will coordinate via computer  links. Lieutenant General Craig Franklin, 3rd Air Force, who is overseeing the drill along with his Israeli counterpart, Brigadier General Nitzan Nuriel, said the air defense drills, dubbed "Austere Challenge 2012," will unfold later this month and last about three weeks, with 3,500 US troops and 1,000 Israeli forces taking part. This is the largest exercise in the history of the longstanding military relationship between the US and Israel.