Israel. (January 23, 2023): In this photo by Specialist David Campos-Contreras, a Soldier with 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery Regiment, Task Force Spartan, communicates with Soldiers from his battalion through hand signals from the air guard hatch of their High Mobility Rocket Artillery System. The Americans and the Israeli Armed Forces joined forces during exercise Juniper Oak 2023, a large-scale bilateral military exercise to build teamwork among U.S. and Israeli forces.

This year, American forces trained their Israeli counterparts on the now world-famous High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) system now being employed with significant effect in Ukraine.

The weeklong exercise included more than 140 aircraft and12 naval vessels and featured a series of live fire events using HIMARS both in Israel and the Mediterranean Sea.

Task Force Spartan is a combination of Army active-duty and national guard units tasked with supporting U.S. military activities in Israel, Kuwait, and Qatar. The 130th Field Artillery Regiment is a Kansas Army National Guard unit based at Hiawatha, Kansas.

America contributes $3.2 billion a year in military assistance to Israel as part of a security agreement signed in 1999.