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U.S. Army document describes Israel as 'a nuclear power'
By Amir Oren
Tags: nuclear, U.S., Israel 

In a rare breach of official American adherence to Israel's policy of nuclear ambiguity, the U.S. military is terming Israel "a nuclear power" on a par with Russia, China, India, Pakistan and North Korea, all of which have declared their nuclear weapon status, and ahead of "nuclear threshold powers" Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, and the "emerging" Iran.

The reference to Israel as a nuclear power is contained in a document published late last year by the U.S. Joint Forces Command (JFCOM), the Norfolk, Virginia-based headquarters in charge of preparing American forces for their military missions worldwide, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. JFCOM's chief, U.S. Marine Corps Four-Star General James Mattis, also heads NATO's Allied Command Transformation.

Israel's nuclear program is rarely, if ever, explicitly mentioned in public, unclassified U.S. official documents. Classified assessments are usually published only years later, in response to Freedom of Information requests, in former officials' recollections or as part of historical research. It is virtually unheard of for a senior military commander, while in office, to refer to Israel's nuclear status.
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In December 2006, during his confirmation hearings as Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates referred to Israel as one of the powers seen by Iran as surrounding it with nuclear weapons. But once in office, Gates refused to repeat this allusion to Israel, noting that when he used it he was "a private citizen."

JFCOM's "Joint Operating Environment" (JOE) document, with a forward by Mattis and drafted by a team of officers and civilians he selected, was signed in mid-November 2008 and posted on the Pentagon's Web site. It has generated protests by the governments of Mexico - whose potential collapse is depicted as a grave threat to U.S. national security - and South Korea, which resented the reference to North Korea as a nuclear power. Following the Korean controversy, JFCOM issued a clarification, noting that this reference does not reflect U.S. government policy, which has vowed never to accept North Korea as a nuclear power.

Asian arsenals

Regarding Israel, the JOE document warns of the danger of nuclear exchanges between countries in and around Asia. It notes that India and Pakistan have nuclear arsenals and delivery systems, that North Korea has tested a nuclear weapon and has enough fissile material to produce more nuclear weapons, and that Iran is "driving forward aggressively" toward its nuclear goals, unchecked by the international community's "confused reaction." This could serve as a proliferation incentive for other countries, the document warns.

"In effect," the document continues, "there is a growing arc of nuclear powers running from Israel in the west through an emerging Iran to Pakistan, India and on to China, North Korea and Russia in the east. Unfortunately, that nuclear arc coincides with areas of considerable instability [which] are of enormous interest to the United States."

General Mattis, a tough, thinking marine with several friends in the Israel Defense Forces, including a former military college classmate (retired Major-General Shai Avital, a former commanding officer of the Sayeret Matkal commando unit), conferred with Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi in NATO's Brussels headquarters last November, within days of signing the JOE document.

Mattis condemned the U.S. Air Force's "Effects Based Operations" approach to warfare, as employed by the IDF in the Second Lebanon War of 2006, citing lessons learned reported by IDF officers "in a very blunt way," as he recalled in a Washington speech last month. He praised the courage shown by Israeli soldiers, but noted that being brave is not enough to stop a rocket-propelled grenade.

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      1.   It`s Well Known that Israel is a Nuclear Power 08:30  |  Baruch Gold 08/03/09
      2.   Where were the brave soldiers? 09:15  |  Marilyn 08/03/09
      3.   About time! 09:23  |  Palestinian Brit 08/03/09
      4.   # 1 who did you buy them from, baruch? 09:35  |  eric 08/03/09
      5.   SURPRISE_surprise 09:44  |  az 08/03/09
      6.   oops! the u.s. "special" treatment of israel may be ending? 09:46  |  eric 08/03/09
      7.   Ehud Olmert admitted Israel had nukes in 2006 10:01  |  Clickfool 08/03/09
      8.   HAVE they described the Arabs as WMD powers? 10:29  |  PETER SM 08/03/09
      9.   Israeli nuclear bombs 10:34  |  Noria 08/03/09
      10.   Excuse me??? 10:35  |  In denial! 08/03/09
      11.   #8, PETER SM 10:52  |  Fritz 08/03/09
      12.   Matter of the Day! 11:07  |  SUNDAY 08/03/09
      13.   #4 Eric Jews Invented Nuclear Technology FYI 11:10  |  Baruch Gold 08/03/09
      14.   #PeterSM 11:24  |  Maureen Ann 08/03/09
      15.   In denial!"What where who? Where did I say that? 11:33  |  PETER SM 08/03/09
      16.   Its based on Kabbalistic principles 11:38  |  R`faelMoshe 08/03/09
      17.   SUNDAY Actually its Pal.govenment that refuses a 2 state solution 11:52  |  PETER SM 08/03/09
      18.   Why was this statement made now? 12:05  |  Manny Goldstein 08/03/09
      19.   Jews certainly invented.. 12:07  |  David M 08/03/09
      20.   Baruch Gold 12:07  |  Agogo 08/03/09
      21.   MAUREEN. the Chemical Weapons Convention does not designate WP as 12:14  |  PETER SM 08/03/09
      22.   So Those Aren`t Electric Snow Cone Makers? 12:18  |  Torrance 08/03/09
      23.   Israel says it is not a nuclear weapon, I say 12:27  |  Persian Gold 08/03/09
      24.   Israels policy of ambiguity has failed anyway 12:38  |  fritz t. 08/03/09
      25.   Fissures appearing all over the Zionist facade 12:46  |  Labhras 08/03/09
      26.   Ambiguity??? 12:47  |  Joe 08/03/09
      27.   #13 12:56  |  Fred 08/03/09
      28.   All the ME should be Nuclear free Zone! 14:12  |  American 08/03/09
      29.   Nothing new 14:13  |  Liat 08/03/09
      30.   Enough with hipocrisy 14:21  |  Mandelarab 08/03/09
      31.   israel is defending itself 14:40  |  matt 08/03/09
      32.   Dear Mandelarab 14:47  |  Jozef 08/03/09
      33.   IRAN IS THE PERPETRATOR, RIGHT? 15:54  |  indrajaya 08/03/09
      34.   #.1. Baruch Gold......?? 16:02  |  Stephen. 08/03/09
      35.   Baruch Gold re Einstein 16:58  |  Stella Westwell 08/03/09
      36.   Iran will burn in hell 17:04  |  charro 08/03/09
      37.   Israeli missiles and technology 17:09  |  charro 08/03/09
      38.   Baruch Gold 17:11  |  Chiribim 08/03/09
      39.   Persian "Fools" Gold 17:16  |  Texan 08/03/09
      40.   keep it coming israel bashers 17:18  |  Harold 08/03/09
      41.   A nuclear powe 17:27  |  William Mark Clarke 08/03/09
      42.   So what? 17:29  |  Morris Valentine 08/03/09
      43.   Peter SM: you`re half-right 17:39  |  AT 08/03/09
      44.   Peter SM, not even Israeli`s believe that nonsense really 17:56  |  Marilyn 08/03/09
      45.   U.S. Army and Israel as a nuclar power 17:59  |  Ricardo Kolbe 08/03/09
      46.   Time for US Aid to stop 18:23  |  James 08/03/09
      47.   "Nuclear Threshold Powers" 18:25  |  Jeff Northridge 08/03/09
      48.   #25, Labhras 18:31  |  Bruce 08/03/09
      49.   #13 Baruch Gold, Regarding Maureen rants about Israel buying 18:34  |  Israeli Observer 08/03/09
      50.   Someone has chemical weapons someone nuclear as the answer 18:37  |  Ahmed 08/03/09
      51.   Palestinian Brit 18:41  |  Brad 08/03/09
      52.   Liat in Sydney 18:44  |  Joan 08/03/09
      53.   Why a nuclear Israel still feels insecure? 18:49  |  Ze`ev Ram 08/03/09
      54.   American # 27 There Is No Such Thing 19:00  |  Jeff Northridge 08/03/09
      55.   nuclear power 19:02  |  James 08/03/09
      56.   Defence and offence 19:23  |  Can 08/03/09
      57.   Of course that much more is to come Labhras 19:40  |  Meo 08/03/09
      58.   Oh look, Israeli criminals 19:43  |  Jhoffa_ 08/03/09
      59.   #21 WMD peter sm 19:54  |  e.l 08/03/09
      60.   Grow up Bruce 20:20  |  Labhras 08/03/09
      61.   # 37 mv 20:23  |  Axel 08/03/09
      62.   MARYLIN If you believe that 20:35  |  PETER SM 08/03/09
      63.   AT Hamas not Israel nominated the battlefield 20:36  |  PETER SM 08/03/09
      64.   Silly Policy 21:02  |  Henry 08/03/09
      65.   # 13 Baruch Gold 21:03  |  The Teacher/Instruct 08/03/09
      66.   James 21:30  |  RonH 08/03/09
      67.   Meo 21:40  |  Joan 08/03/09
      68.   jewish ancestors 21:40  |  RonH 08/03/09
      69.   Israel`s Ethnic Specific Weapons 21:42  |  Joan 08/03/09
      70.   Could it be possible? 22:06  |  Janice 08/03/09
      71.   325 Labrhas ...they will be leakin/writing/talking 22:08  |  Lynn 08/03/09
      72.   I am darn glad that Israel has them. As to trusting Iran though 22:55  |  Sarah 08/03/09
      73.   #71 22:55  |  Elina 08/03/09
      74.   Finally, the truth 23:03  |  USS Liberty 08/03/09
      75.   FRITZ Care to comment on what Egypt used to bomb Yemenis? 23:41  |  PETER SM 08/03/09
      76.   jews invent bomb(?),ergo settlement boom 23:51  |  superjew 08/03/09
      77.   #42 Morris Valentine, You making propaganda? 00:07  |  Mark B. 09/03/09
      78.   To 35: Einstein was a fullscale Zionist 00:10  |  Established the Hebr 09/03/09
      79.   LYNN @ 71 now that their economy is virtually collapsed 00:16  |  PETER SM 09/03/09
      80.   The best kept secret heard round the world 00:37  |  Arnold 09/03/09
      81.   Jewish nuclear brains? Please note the German surnames. 00:44  |  Lou Medel 09/03/09
      82.   # 13 actually baruch, i really don`t care 01:54  |  eric 09/03/09
      83.   Eric ...the make their own.Don`t brag about US stuff 03:44  |  MMM 09/03/09
      84.   Eric...the one who design the F-117 the Stealth fighter 03:48  |  MMM 09/03/09
      85.   Lou Medel ....products made by Jews are 03:50  |  MMM 09/03/09
      86.   Morris Valentine 03:54  |  American in NY 09/03/09
      87.   Peter, SM, the most ignorant Aussie 03:55  |  Marilyn 09/03/09
      88.   isreal could not stop "Qassam" 05:08  |  q 09/03/09
      89.   Kola Cavod!!! Israel 05:16  |  Michelle Wayne 09/03/09
      90.   Ze`ev Ram #53 05:25  |  Steve Beikirch 09/03/09
      91.   Marilyn...the British should have given the whole 06:05  |  MMM 09/03/09
      92.   Peter Sm blinded by bigotry 06:21  |  Truth 09/03/09
      93.   petersm and lies 06:24  |  Truth 09/03/09
      94.   #8 PETER SM - You appear to hav a large stock... 06:42  |  PADDY 09/03/09
      95.   Duh 06:44  |  binny 09/03/09
      96.   Evebody knows zions are nuclear... 06:57  |  Niva dos Santos 09/03/09
      97.   #74, eric 07:00  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 09/03/09
      98.   #71 07:05  |  Elina 09/03/09
      99.   S.BEIKRICH I believe everything Hamas says both in their 07:17  |  PETER SM 09/03/09
      100.   FRITZ.Egypt used chemical weapons back in 1966 to bomb Yemeni 07:21  |  PETER SM 09/03/09
      101.   MEDEL.Jews have been inordinately well represented 07:42  |  PETER SM 09/03/09
      102.   Iran not interested in war 08:40  |  Mike 09/03/09
      103.   TRUTH The Kurds experienced Sadaams"`non existent WMD`s" 1st hand 08:44  |  PETER SM 09/03/09
      104.   joking 09:10  |  mary 09/03/09
      105.   # 96 with all due respect cipora; i`m well aware of all that 09:18  |  eric 09/03/09
      106.   response to # 31 Matt 15:14  |  gsa 09/03/09
      107.   nothing new 00:17  |  david 10/03/09
      108.   The State of Israel 20:50  |  Michael 17/03/09
      109.   U.S. Army document describes Israel as `a nuclear power` 00:35  |  Holger Terp 18/03/09
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