The “Secret” U.S. Base in Israel

Two months before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, the Pentagon awarded a $35.8 million contract to expand a “secret” U.S. military installation in Israel’s Negev Desert known as Site 512. Perched atop Mount Har Keren, roughly 5 miles from the Egyptian border and 20 miles from Gaza, the base was established in the early 2000s under the Bush administration as a top-secret radar facility and is now operated by the U.S. Army’s 1st Space Brigade.

At its core is the AN/TPY-2 X-band radar, one of the world’s most advanced early-warning systems, capable of detecting ballistic missiles thousands of miles away—Tehran is just over 1,000 miles to the northeast. The radar feeds real-time data to U.S. Missile Defense Agency operations in California and to a joint U.S.-Israel command center near Tel Aviv, where missile interceptors such as the Arrow, Patriot, and THAAD systems can be activated within minutes. The U.S. radar gives Israel up to six extra minutes of warning in the event of an Iranian missile launch, dramatically improving interception chances and civilian response times.

Though officially described as a “life support facility,” military jargon for troop housing, the expansion at Site 512 underscores Washington’s deepening military footprint in Israel. Initially manned by fewer than 100 personnel, the base now hosts around 300 U.S. servicemembers, with facilities capable of housing up to 1,000. The latest construction adds to major upgrades in 2017 and 2023, and U.S. deployments of THAAD launchers and additional radar systems further strengthen Israel’s missile defense network amid rising regional threats from Iran and Iranian-backed groups, including the Houthis in Yemen.

Despite official denials that U.S. troops are stationed in Israel, Site 512 represents the only permanent American base on Israeli soil. The Pentagon continues to refer to it obliquely as a “classified worldwide project,” reflecting lingering political sensitivities about acknowledging a U.S. military presence in Israel. Yet its strategic purpose is clear: to serve as an integrated early-warning hub and forward operating post for U.S. regional missile defense.

The installation’s dual nature—as both a shield for Israel and a node in U.S. regional strategy—has political implications. Because the radar is American-operated, Washington ultimately controls the flow of data to Israel, effectively giving the U.S. a veto over early-warning intelligence. This dynamic not only binds the two allies closer together militarily but also limits Israel’s freedom to act unilaterally, particularly against Iran.

In short, Site 512 is far more than a radar outpost: it is the technological and strategic linchpin of the U.S.-Israel defense partnership, symbolizing unprecedented military cooperation while cementing America’s permanent strategic foothold in the Middle East.

Sources: Karl Vick and Aaron J. Klein, “How a U.S. Radar Station in the Negev Affects a Potential Israel-Iran Clash,” Time, (May 30, 2012)
Ken Klippenstein and Daniel Boguslaw, “U.S. Quietly Expands Secret Military Base in Israel,” The Intercept, (October 27, 2023).
“Site 512, a US military bubble in Israel's Negev desert,” Intelligence Online, (November 22, 2023).
“Inside Site 512: America’s Hidden Missile Defense Hub in Israel,” Medium, (October 15, 2024).