More on That Postponed Anti-Missile Exercise

The Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Michael Oren (who has made occasional appearances on this blog), issued this statement in response to questions about why the joint U.S.-Israeli anti-missile exercise, "Austere Challenge 12," has been postponed (I wrote about this in the previous post):

The exercise between the U.S. Army and the Israel Defense Forces, scheduled to be held this spring, has been postponed to the latter half of the year. The decision, taken jointly by the European Command (EUCOM) and by the IDF, stemmed solely from technical issues. Such postponements are routine and do not reflect political or strategic concerns. The United States and Israel remain committed to holding the exercise -- code-named Austere Challenge 12 -- the largest and most robust in their historic alliance.

The important question, one we can't answer yet, is this: How is Tehran interpreting this postponement? I can't imagine that Iranian leaders see this as a sign of American and Israeli fortitude.

This article available online at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/01/more-on-that-postponed-anti-missile-exercise/251550/