An official website of the United States government
Here's how you know
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

NEWS | July 6, 2022

Chief of Israeli Ground Forces visits U.S. Army Central's Patton Hall

By Capt. Richard Moore U.S. Army Central

Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadaie, Chief of the Ground Forces for Israel’s Defense Forces, visited the U.S. Army Central Headquarters on June 30 where he met with the USARCENT Chief of Staff, Brig. Gen. Matthew Eichburg, and other leaders from the security cooperation division.

“It was a great honor to host Maj. Gen. Yadaie and his delegation at Patton Hall to discuss the future of our partnership and share understanding” said Brig. Gen. Eichburg. “We look forward to future military and security cooperation that benefit both the Israeli and American people, as well as generate security ties across the U.S. Central Command’s area of responsibility.”

While visiting Patton Hall, Maj. Gen. Yadaie received a tour of the facility from Mr. Mike Clauss, the command historian, and received a brief on USARCENT’s security cooperation efforts and goals. The focus of the various discussions was to identify future opportunities to advance shared security priorities and interests.

The visit comes less than a year after the U.S. Department of Defense transitioned responsibility for Israel from U.S. European Command to USCENTCOM. The move of Israel into the USCENTCOM area of responsibility offers opportunities to deepen cooperation between the Israel Defense Force and other partners in the region.

“The realignment of Israel into the USCENTCOM area of responsibility allows USARCENT to take a regional approach to Israel's security,” said Col. Charles Canon, the security cooperation director. "This includes addressing threats from violent extremist organizations in the region, as
well as influence from strategic competitors."

Security cooperation is a key function of USARCENT as one of the command’s primary goals is building partnerships throughout the USCENTCOM area of responsibility. The U.S. and Israel enjoy a strong and enduring security partnership built on trust developed over decades of cooperation. The U.S. was the first country to recognize Israel as a state in 1948. USARCENT plans to continue to work together and advance shared defense priorities and mutual security interests.

“The visit by Maj. Gen. Yadai to USARCENT is a momentous event for the Headquarters as well as for the relationship between Third Army and the Israel Ground Forces. It comes on the heels of Lt. Gen. Clark and Maj. Gen. Hagler's visits to Israel in March and June, respectively,” said Maj.
Pascal Reber, the country desk officer responsible for coordinating USARCENT cooperation efforts with Israel. “Our commitment to the defense of Israel is ironclad and is based on decades of shared values and interests.”