I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9637 

To improve defense cooperation between the United States and the Hashemite 

Kingdom of Jordan. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2024 

Mr. PHILLIPS (for himself and Mr. WILSON of South Carolina) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 

and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be 

subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration 

of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To improve defense cooperation between the United States 

and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Jordan 

5 Defense Cooperation Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

7 It is the sense of Congress that— 


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1 (1) expeditious consideration of certifications of 

2 letters of offer to sell defense articles, defense serv3 ices, design and construction services, and major de4 fense equipment to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jor5 dan under section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control 

6 Act (22 U.S.C. 2776(b)) is fully consistent with 

7 United States security and foreign policy interests 

8 and the objectives of world peace and security; and 

9 (2) the United States commitment to the sta10 bility and security of the Hashemite Kingdom of 

11 Jordan is ironclad, as demonstrated by the signing 

12 of the fourth Memorandum of Understanding on 

13 Strategic Partnership in September 2022, which 

14 provides $1,450,000,000 per year in United States 

15 bilateral foreign assistance to Jordan beginning in 

16 fiscal year 2023 and ending in fiscal year 2029. 

17 SEC. 3. ENHANCED DEFENSE COOPERATION. 

18 (a) ARMS EXPORT CONTROL ACT.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—During the 3-year period be20 ginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

21 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan shall be treated as if 

22 it were a country listed in each of the provisions of 

23 law described in paragraph (2) for purposes of ap24 plying and administering such provisions of law. 


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1 (2) COVERED PROVISIONS OF LAW.—The provi2 sions of law described in this paragraph are the fol3 lowing provisions of the Arms Export Control Act: 

4 (A) Subsections (b)(2), (d)(2)(B), 

5 (d)(3)(A)(i), and (d)(5) of section 3 (22 U.S.C. 

6 2753). 

7 (B) Subsections (e)(2)(A), (h)(1)(A), and 

8 (h)(2) of section 21 (22 U.S.C. 2761). 

9 (C) Subsections (b)(1), (b)(2), (b)(6), (c), 

10 and (d)(2)(A) of section 36 (22 U.S.C. 2776). 

11 (D) Section 62(c)(1) (22 U.S.C. 

12 2796a(c)(1)). 

13 (E) Section 63(a)(2) (22 U.S.C. 

14 2796b(a)(2)). 

15 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF CAPABILITIES.— 

16 (1) AUTHORIZATION.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph 

18 (2), the Secretary of Defense, acting through 

19 the Commander of United States Central Com20 mand, shall seek to work in cooperation with 

21 the Minister of Defense of the Hashemite King22 dom of Jordan to establish or further capabili23 ties for countering rockets, cruise and ballistic 

24 missiles, and manned and unmanned aerial sys25 tems that threaten the United States, Jordan, 


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1 and other allies and partners of the United 

2 States, including threats from Iran and its ter3 rorist proxies. 

4 (B) PROTECTION OF SENSITIVE TECH5 NOLOGY AND INFORMATION.—The Secretary 

6 shall ensure that any activities carried out 

7 under this subsection are conducted in a man8 ner that appropriately protects sensitive tech9 nology and information and the national secu10 rity interests of the United States and the 

11 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. 

12 (2) LIMITATION AND REPORT.—Activities may 

13 not be carried out under the authority provided by 

14 paragraph (1) until the date on which the Secretary 

15 submits to the appropriate congressional committees 

16 a report setting forth the following: 

17 (A) A memorandum of agreement between 

18 the United States and the Hashemite Kingdom 

19 of Jordan regarding sharing of research and de20 velopment costs for the capabilities described in 

21 paragraph (1)(A), including any supporting 

22 documents. 

23 (B) A certification that such memorandum 

24 of agreement— 


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1 (i) requires sharing of costs of 

2 projects, including in-kind support, be3 tween the United States and the 

4 Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan; 

5 (ii) establishes a framework to nego6 tiate the rights to any intellectual property 

7 developed under the memorandum of 

8 agreement; and 

9 (iii) requires the United States Gov10 ernment to receive semiannual reports on 

11 expenditure of funds, if any, by the Gov12 ernment of the Hashemite Kingdom of 

13 Jordan, including a description of what the 

14 funds have been used for, when funds were 

15 expended, and an identification of entities 

16 that expended the funds. 

17 (3) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT18 TEES DEFINED.—In this subsection, the term ‘‘ap19 propriate congressional committees’’ means— 

20 (A) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

21 Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Com22 mittee on Appropriations of the Senate; and 

23 (B) the Committee on Armed Services, the 

24 Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:57 Sep 25, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9637.IH H9637

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1 mittee on Appropriations of the House of Rep2 resentatives. 

3 (c) MIDDLE EAST INTEGRATED AIR AND MISSILE

4 DEFENSE.— 

5 (1) IN GENERAL.—Pursuant to section 1658 of 

6 the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authoriza7 tion Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Public Law 117– 

8 263), the Secretary of Defense shall, in consultation 

9 with the Secretary of State and with the concurrence 

10 of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, develop a 

11 plan to bolster the participation of Jordan in a mul12 tinational integrated air and missile defense archi13 tecture to protect the people, infrastructure, and ter14 ritory of Jordan from cruise and ballistic missiles, 

15 manned and unmanned aerial systems, and rocket 

16 attacks from Iran or groups linked to Iran. 

17 (2) BRIEFING.—Not later than March 1, 2025, 

18 the Secretary and the Commander of United States 

19 Central Command shall provide to the Committee on 

20 Armed Services and the Committee on Foreign Rela21 tions of the Senate and the Committee on Armed 

22 Services and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of 

23 the House of Representatives— 

24 (A) a briefing on the progress of the De25 partment of Defense towards bolstering the 


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1 participation of Jordan in a multinational inte2 grated air and missile defense architecture; and 

3 (B) a list of requirements, including cost 

4 estimates, for strengthening the defense of Jor5 dan within this architecture. 

6 (d) SUNSET.—The authority to carry out activities 

7 described in subsection (b) and to provide support de8 scribed in subsection (c) shall expire on December 31, 

9 2028. 

10 SEC. 4. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. 

11 Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Sec12 retary of State is authorized to enter into a new memo13 randum of understanding with the Hashemite Kingdom 

14 of Jordan, following the expiration of the current memo15 randum in fiscal year 2029, to further increase economic 

16 support funds, military cooperation, including joint mili17 tary exercises, personnel exchanges, support for inter18 national peacekeeping missions, and enhanced strategic 

19 dialogue. 

Æ 


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