00:00CNN granted exclusive access to the danger zone on the supercarrier USS George H.W. Bush
00:07to see part of the largest ever American and Israeli joint military exercise,
00:13covering all aspects of warfare, from the air, on land, to the sea, online, and even in space.
00:25The timing is no accident, meant to send a clear signal to Iran and other adversaries in the region,
00:31that despite the attention on Ukraine and U.S. concerns over the new right-wing Israeli government,
00:36the Americans remain deeply aligned and committed to a military partnership with Israel.
00:41For the Americans and the Israelis, these types of exercises are a show of force,
00:46a show of partnership, and a way for the both of them to show the world
00:50that they can walk and chew gum at the same time.
00:55Only through a firm commitment to this partnership are we able to plan and organize
01:00such an incredibly complex, high-end operation with so many elements across such a large geographic area
01:08against all aspects of warfighting, some of which are seen, some of which are not.
01:13For the Israelis, the exercise is crucial.
01:16They've long opposed a return to the Iranian nuclear deal
01:19and have argued that a credible military threat needs to be on the table
01:22to deter Iran from fully developing a nuclear weapon.
01:25Israel and the U.S. share the same values.
01:30The IDF and the U.S. CENTCOM see eye-to-eye the threats on this area.
01:38More than 6,400 American personnel joined 1,100 Israelis as part of this exercise
01:44that utilize more than 142 aircraft, including these F-18s.
01:49And while the Israelis and Americans regularly carry out joint exercises,
01:53this one shifted the focus more on the offensive rather than just defensive capabilities.
01:59It also came together in just two months, incredibly quickly,
02:02especially for something of this scale compared to the typical year or so of planning.
02:07While officials shy away from drawing a direct connection between the speed and recent events in Iran
02:13and the breakdown last year of negotiations over the nuclear deal,
02:16it is hard to ignore the context.
02:19I think it's fairly clear that we can very quickly move assets in the region to respond to crisis,
02:24and we can do so alongside our partners,
02:27and we can fight and conduct offensive operations in every domain alongside our partners.
02:31The military option, which President Biden called the last resort to deal with Iran,
02:36seems to be on loud display.
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