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McClatchy-Tribune

Israel's military is furious over the discovery that the US government revealed details of a top secret Israeli military installation as it sought bids to construct the project.
The Obama administration had promised to build Israel a state-of-the-art facility to house a new ballistic-missile defence system, the Arrow 3.
As with all US Defence Department projects, detailed specifications were made public so that contractors could bid on the US$25 million project.
The specifications included more than 1,000 pages of details on the facility, ranging from the heating and cooling systems to the thickness of the walls.
An Israeli military official said: "If an enemy of Israel wanted to launch an attack against a facility, this would give him an easy how-to guide.
"This type of information is closely guarded and its release can jeopardise the entire facility."
He declined to say whether plans for the facility were altered as a result of the disclosure.
"This is more than worrying, it is shocking," he said.
Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Wesley Miller said he could not comment on the specifics of the Arrow 3 base, but said the US routinely published the details of its construction plans on a federal business opportunities website, so contractors could estimate the costs of jobs.
Israeli officials appear to have been well aware of the danger of outsourcing building projects to the US. Lieutenant Colonel Peleg Zeevi, head of the bidding process at Israel's Defence Ministry, justified his country's history of relying on the US to help build military installations by saying Israel needed "a player with knowledge, ability and experience".
Zeevi said: "We are aware of the security issues that arise in deals with foreign firms, but because we want real competition and expertise, we will create conditions that will allow and encourage their participation."
It appears, however, that Israeli officials were caught by surprise that details of the facility at Tel Shahar, classified so top secret that Israel's military would not officially confirm its location between Jerusalem and Ashdod, would be made so public.
Jane's Defence Weekly cited the bidding documents in a story in which it recounted details of the Arrow 3, a defence system designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the earth's atmosphere. It is expected to become operational in 2015.
Israeli officials had announced they were fast-tracking the Arrow 3 system because of their fear that Iran is developing a nuclear weapon.


Israel criticises US for revealing details of 'top secret' military base

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Israeli military chiefs criticise US for revealing specifications of defence system installation
