https://www.jewishpolicycenter.org/insight/
The United States is Israel’s ally of first choice. And Israel remains one of the few countries the US can rely on to defend itself by itself and in coordination with American interests. Today, Israel lies in EUCOM – the United States European Command – while some analysts suggest it belongs in CENTCOM – the Central Command, encompassing the Middle East and parts of Southwest and Central Asia.
Historically, having Israel in EUCOM had its downsides – American military personnel in CENTCOM were, at one point, prevented from visiting Israel despite common interests. Their knowledge of Israel was skewed by Arab states with which they worked. I had the honor for years of accompanying recently retired American Flag and General Officers to Israel – and tried to choose CENTCOM officers to “right the ship” a bit. One Marine general was a tough sell, ultimately convinced to go by another participant. About three weeks after the trip, he called; it went like this:
Him: I didn’t want to go on your trip.