WASHINGTON (JTA) — The United States will fully fund the development and production of the Arrow 3 ballistic missile defense system, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Israel was worried that cuts to the U.S. defense budget could jeopardize funding for the joint U.S.-Israel project, but the Post reported that U.S. officials told Israel of its decision on Wednesday during a strategic dialogue between the two countries.
The annual dialogue was the first meeting of top Israeli defense officials with their counterparts in the Obama administration. It included Israeli Ministry of Defense Dir.-Gen. Pinchas Buhris and U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michelle Flournoy.
The Arrow 3 will be capable of intercepting missiles from longer distances and higher altitudes than the Arrow system now being used by the Israel Defense Forces.
