Provisions in a bill to be introduced in the U.S. Congress could bring the U.S. and Israeli militaries closer together and deepen cooperation in weapons research, production, and technology.
The proposal, titled “U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” will appear as Section 224 in the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2027, the U.S.’s annual defense policy bill.
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This measure is still in its early stages. The NDAA sets U.S. military policy and is passed annually by Congress to authorize defense programs and spending levels.
If passed, this provision could signal a major shift in one of the world’s closest military ties, moving the two countries from a partnership primarily centered around U.S. military aid to one that more deeply intertwines their defense industries.
Section 224 requires the U.S. Secretary of Defense to appoint an “enforcement agent,” a single official to coordinate military cooperation between the United States and Israel.
Efforts include joint research and development, joint production of weapons, and linking military systems and data.
“What Congress is trying to do now is find different ways to make this relationship so ingrained in America’s own defense industrial base that it’s impossible to eradicate,” Josh Paul, a former U.S. State Department official and founder of the advocacy group A New Policy, said of the controversial provision.
“New legal provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) will give Israel unprecedented access to American technology, force the U.S. military to incorporate Israeli defense technology into our nation’s critical military supply chain, and give Israel incredible influence over America’s own defense priorities,” he added in a video posted to social media on Friday.
The two countries are already jointly building missile defense systems such as Iron Dome.
The bill would expand collaboration into more areas of modern warfare, from artificial intelligence (AI) to drones and cyber operations.
The clause was introduced amid turmoil in the Middle East following the joint US-Israeli attack on Iran earlier this year.
In February, American and Israeli forces jointly attacked Iran, starting a five-week war. Iran counterattacked Israel and U.S. military bases in the Gulf before a ceasefire was established in April.
Israel also faces genocide charges in a lawsuit brought by South Africa at the United Nations’ highest court, the International Court of Justice, over the Gaza war.
Decades of support
The bill first passes the House Armed Services Committee, is expected to be considered in early June, and then needs to pass the full House and Senate.
The idea, introduced by the committee’s Republican chairman, Mike Rogers, and its most senior Democratic official, Adam Smith, received support from both major political parties, despite polls suggesting growing opposition to more military aid to Israel among American Democrats and some Republicans.
The United States has supported the Israeli military for decades.
Since 2008, U.S. law requires the U.S. government to protect Israel’s “qualitative military superiority” and maintain a military that is stronger and more advanced than any of its rivals in the region, on the grounds that small nations must rely on better weapons rather than greater numbers.
Under the current aid agreement, signed during the administration of former President Barack Obama, Washington provides Israel with approximately $3.8 billion in military aid annually. The 10-year contract runs until 2028.
Israel has been the largest recipient of US foreign aid since 1948, almost all of which is now military aid, with an inflation-adjusted value of well over $300 billion.
The nature of that support may now be changing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said that Israel has “come of age” and wants to end its dependence on U.S. military aid within 10 years.
Rather than cash, close cooperation between the two defense industries is likely to meet that goal.
