The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States Military Gen. Mark Milley held a work visit in Israel over the weekend, where he held a series of meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Premier and Defense Minister Benny Gantz.
Gen. Milley also participated in a panel led by IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, during which the Head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate Maj. Gen. Tamir Hayman and the IDF Chief of Strategy and Third Tier Directorate Maj. Gen. Tal Kelman provided briefings on intelligence and strategic cooperation matters. The IDF perspective on the threats and opportunities in various regional theaters of operation were also presented, most notably pertaining to the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Following the panel, Defense Minister Gantz highlighted the close cooperation and excellent relations between the two nations militaries, which he referred to as “a cornerstone of the Israeli defense strategy.” Gen. Kochavi said it is the shared interest of both Washington and Jerusalem “to preserve regional stability, and to prevent Iran or its proxies from jeopardizing the stability in the region,” while underscoring that “the IDF is prepared for a variety of scenarios and will act as necessary to negate any threat against the sovereignty of Israel or the safety of its citizens.”
Following his visit to the Jewish State, Gen. Milley travelled to the country’s eastern neighbor, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Talks with his Jordanian counterpart Maj. Gen. Yousef Alhnaity centered on the current security situation in the Middle East. The office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Public Affairs released a statement emphasizing that “The U.S. and Jordan share a strong military-to-military relationship as key partners committed to peace and security in the Middle East region.”