II 

Calendar No. 519 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2497 

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms Export Control 

Act to make improvements to certain defense and security assistance 

provisions and to authorize the appropriations of funds to Israel, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 5, 2018 

Mr. RUBIO (for himself, Mr. COONS, Mr. CASEY, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Ms. 

KLOBUCHAR, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. ROBERTS, Mr. ROUNDS, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. WYDEN, Mr. CRUZ, Mr. HOEVEN, Mr. 

INHOFE, Mr. HATCH, Ms. CANTWELL, Mr. CRAPO, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. 

KENNEDY, Mr. MARKEY, Mr. WICKER, Mr. SCOTT, Mr. DONNELLY, Mr. 

SULLIVAN, Ms. DUCKWORTH, Mr. NELSON, Mr. YOUNG, Ms. COLLINS, 

Ms. SMITH, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. HEITKAMP, Mr. HELLER, Ms. STABENOW, 

Mr. RISCH, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. KAINE, Mr. KING, Ms. BALDWIN, Mr. 

MORAN, Mr. BLUNT, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. WARNER, Mr. TESTER, Mr. 

PERDUE, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. GARDNER, Mr. BENNET, Mr. MURPHY, Mr. 

FLAKE, Mr. TOOMEY, Mr. HEINRICH, Mr. PETERS, Mr. BOOKER, Mrs. 

HYDE-SMITH, Mr. MANCHIN, Ms. WARREN, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. GRASSLEY, Mr. JONES, Mrs. ERNST, Mr. SASSE, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. PORTMAN, Mr. LANKFORD, Ms. HASSAN, Ms. HIRONO, 

Mr. LEE, Mr. DAINES, Mrs. MCCASKILL, and Mr. BROWN) introduced 

the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee 

on Foreign Relations 


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JULY 17, 2018 

Reported by Mr. CORKER, with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

A BILL 

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Arms 

Export Control Act to make improvements to certain 

defense and security assistance provisions and to authorize the appropriations of funds to Israel, and for other 

purposes. 

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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization 

6 Act of 2018’’. 

7 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

8 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Appropriate congressional committees defined. 

TITLE I—SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR ISRAEL 

Sec. 101. Findings. 

Sec. 102. Statement of policy regarding Israel’s defense systems. 

Sec. 103. Assistance for Israel. 

Sec. 104. Extension of war reserves stockpile authority. 

Sec. 105. Extension of loan guarantees to Israel. 

Sec. 106. Joint assessment of quantity of precision guided munitions for use by 

Israel. 

Sec. 107. Transfer of precision guided munitions to Israel. 

Sec. 108. Modification of rapid acquisition and deployment procedures. 

Sec. 109. Eligibility of Israel for the strategic trade authorization exception to 

certain export control licensing requirements. 

TITLE II—ENHANCED UNITED STATES-ISRAEL COOPERATION 


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Sec. 201. United States-Israel space cooperation. 

Sec. 202. United States Agency for International Development—Israel enhanced cooperation. 

Sec. 203. Authority to enter into a cooperative project agreement with Israel 

to counter unmanned aerial vehicles that threaten the United 

States or Israel. 

TITLE III—ENSURING ISRAEL’S QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE 

Sec. 301. Improved reporting on enhancing Israel’s qualitative military edge 

and security posture. 

Sec. 302. Statement of policy. 

1 SEC. 2. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE2 FINED. 

3 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com4 mittees’’ means— 

5 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and 

6 the Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and 

7 (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

8 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep9 resentatives. 

10 TITLE I—SECURITY ASSISTANCE 

11 FOR ISRAEL 

12 SEC. 101. FINDINGS. 

13 Congress makes the following findings: 

14 (1) In April 1998, the United States designated 

15 Israel as a ‘‘major non-NATO ally’’. 

16 (2) On August 16, 2007, the United States and 

17 Israel signed a 10-year Memorandum of Under18 standing on United States military assistance to 

19 Israel. The total assistance over the course of this 

20 understanding would equal $30,000,000,000. 


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1 (3) On July 27, 2012, the United States-Israel 

2 Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 (Public 

3 Law 112–150; 22 U.S.C. 8601 et seq.) declared it 

4 to be the policy of the United States ‘‘to help the 

5 Government of Israel preserve its qualitative military 

6 edge amid rapid and uncertain regional political 

7 transformation’’ and ‘‘provide Israel defense articles 

8 and services, to include air refueling tankers, missile 

9 defense capabilities, and specialized munitions’’. 

10 (4) On December 19, 2014, President Barack 

11 Obama signed into law the United States-Israel 

12 Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 (Public Law 113– 

13 296) which stated the sense of Congress that Israel 

14 is a major strategic partner of the United States 

15 and declared it to be the policy of the United States 

16 ‘‘to continue to provide Israel with robust security 

17 assistance, including for the procurement of the Iron 

18 Dome Missile Defense System’’. 

19 (5) Section 1679 of the National Defense Au20 thorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 

21 114–92; 129 Stat. 1135) authorized funds to be ap22 propriated for Israeli cooperative missile defense 

23 program codevelopment and coproduction, including 

24 funds to be provided to the Government of Israel to 


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1 procure the David’s Sling weapon system as well as 

2 the Arrow 3 Upper Tier Interceptor Program. 

3 (6) On June 22, 2016, Senate Resolution 508 

4 (114th Congress) was introduced in the United 

5 States Senate, expressing support for the expeditious 

6 consideration and finalization of a new, robust, and 

7 long-term Memorandum of Understanding on mili8 tary assistance to Israel between the United States 

9 Government and the Government of Israel. 

10 (7) Senate Resolution 508 provides that the 

11 Senate— 

12 (A) ‘‘reaffirms that Israel is a major stra13 tegic partner of the United States’’; 

14 (B) ‘‘reaffirms that it is the policy and law 

15 of the United States to ensure that Israel main16 tains its qualitative military edge and has the 

17 capacity and capability to defend itself from all 

18 credible military threats’’; 

19 (C) ‘‘reaffirms United States support of a 

20 robust Israeli tiered missile defense program’’; 

21 (D) ‘‘supports continued discussions be22 tween the Government of the United States and 

23 the Government of Israel for a robust and long24 term Memorandum of Understanding on United 

25 States military assistance to Israel’’; 


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1 (E) ‘‘urges the expeditious finalization of a 

2 new Memorandum of Understanding between 

3 the Government of the United States and the 

4 Government of Israel’’; and 

5 (F) ‘‘supports a robust and long-term 

6 Memorandum of Understanding negotiated be7 tween the United States and Israel regarding 

8 military assistance which increases the amount 

9 of aid from previous agreements and signifi10 cantly enhances Israel’s military capabilities’’. 

11 (8) On September 14, 2016, the United States 

12 and Israel signed a 10-year Memorandum of Under13 standing reaffirming the importance of continuing 

14 annual United States military assistance to Israel 

15 and cooperative missile defense programs in a way 

16 that enhances Israel’s security and strengthens the 

17 bilateral relationship between the two countries. 

18 (9) The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding 

19 reflected United States support of Foreign Military 

20 Financing (FMF) grant assistance to Israel over the 

21 ten year period beginning in fiscal year 2019 and 

22 ending in fiscal year 2028. FMF grant assistance 

23 would be at a level of $3,300,000,000 annually, to24 taling $33,000,000,000, the largest United States 

25 assistance package ever and a reiteration of the 


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1 seven-decade, unshakeable, bipartisan commitment 

2 of the United States to Israel’s security. 

3 (10) The Memorandum of Understanding also 

4 reflected United States support for funding for coop5 erative programs to develop, produce, and procure 

6 missile, rocket, and projectile defense capabilities 

7 over a ten year period beginning in fiscal year 2019 

8 and ending in fiscal year 2028 at a level of 

9 $500,000,000 per year, totaling $5,000,000,000. 

10 SEC. 102. STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING ISRAEL’S DE11 FENSE SYSTEMS. 

12 It shall be the policy of the United States to provide 

13 assistance to the Government of Israel in order to support 

14 funding for cooperative programs to develop, produce, and 

15 procure missile, rocket, projectile, and other defense capa16 bilities to help Israel meet its security needs and to help 

17 develop and enhance United States defense capabilities. 

18 SEC. 103. ASSISTANCE FOR ISRAEL. 

19 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR

20 ISRAEL.—Section 513(c) of the Security Assistance Act 

21 of 2000 (Public Law 106–280; 114 Stat. 856) is amend22 ed— 

23 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2002 and 

24 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 

25 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028’’; and 


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1 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

2 (A) by striking ‘‘equal to—’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘not less than $3,300,000,000.’’; and 

4 (B) by striking subparagraphs (A) and 

5 (B). 

6 SEC. 104. EXTENSION OF WAR RESERVES STOCKPILE AU7 THORITY. 

8 (a) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS

9 ACT, 2005.—Section 12001(d) of the Department of De10 fense Appropriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108–287; 

11 118 Stat. 1011) is amended by striking ‘‘after September 

12 30, 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘after September 30, 2023’’. 

13 (b) FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.—Section 

14 514(b)(2)(A) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

15 U.S.C. 2321h(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘2013, 

16 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2018, 

17 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.’’. 

18 SEC. 105. EXTENSION OF LOAN GUARANTEES TO ISRAEL. 

19 Chapter 5 of title I of the Emergency Wartime Sup20 plemental Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108–11; 

21 117 Stat. 576) is amended under the heading ‘‘LOAN

22 GUARANTEES TO ISRAEL’’— 

23 (1) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by 

24 striking ‘‘September 30, 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘Sep25 tember 30, 2023’’; and 


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1 (2) in the second proviso, by striking ‘‘Sep2 tember 30, 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 

3 2023’’. 

4 SEC. 106. JOINT ASSESSMENT OF QUANTITY OF PRECISION 

5 GUIDED MUNITIONS FOR USE BY ISRAEL. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 

7 Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is author8 ized to conduct a joint assessment with the Government 

9 of Israel with respect to the matters described in sub10 section (b). 

11 (b) MATTERS DESCRIBED.—The matters described 

12 in this subsection are the following: 

13 (1) The quantity and type of precision guided 

14 munitions that are necessary for Israel to combat 

15 Hezbollah in the event of a sustained armed con16 frontation between Israel and Hezbollah. 

17 (2) The quantity and type of precision guided 

18 munitions that are necessary for Israel in the event 

19 of a sustained armed confrontation with other armed 

20 groups and terrorist organizations such as Hamas. 

21 (3) The resources the Government of Israel can 

22 plan to dedicate to acquire such precision guided 

23 munitions. 

24 (4) United States planning to assist Israel to 

25 prepare for sustained armed confrontations deVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:28 Jul 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S2497.RS S2497

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1 scribed in this subsection as well as the ability of the 

2 United States to resupply Israel in the event of con3 frontations described in paragraphs (1) and (2), if 

4 any. 

5 (c) REPORT.— 

6 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 days after 

7 the date on which the joint assessment authorized 

8 under subsection (a) is completed, the President 

9 shall submit to the appropriate congressional com10 mittees a report that contains the joint assessment. 

11 (2) FORM.—The report required under para12 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

13 but may contain a classified annex. 

14 SEC. 107. TRANSFER OF PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS TO 

15 ISRAEL. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 514 of 

17 the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321h), 

18 the President is authorized— 

19 (1) to utilize the Special Defense Acquisition 

20 Fund to transfer precision guided munitions and re21 lated defense articles and services to reserve stocks 

22 for Israel; and 

23 (2) to transfer such quantities of precision 

24 guided munitions from reserve stocks for Israel as 

25 necessary for legitimate self-defense and otherwise 


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1 consistent with the purposes and conditions for such 

2 transfers under the Arms Export Control Act (22 

3 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 

4 (b) CERTIFICATIONS.—Except in case of emergency, 

5 not later than 5 days before making a transfer under this 

6 section, the President shall certify in an unclassified noti7 fication to the appropriate congressional committees that 

8 the transfer of the precision guided munitions— 

9 (1) does not affect the ability of the United 

10 States to maintain a sufficient supply of precision 

11 guided munitions; 

12 (2) does not harm the combat readiness of the 

13 United States or the ability of the United States to 

14 meet its commitment to allies for the transfer of 

15 such munitions; and 

16 (3) is absolutely necessary for Israel to counter 

17 the threat of rockets in a timely fashion. 

18 SEC. 108. MODIFICATION OF RAPID ACQUISITION AND DE19 PLOYMENT PROCEDURES. 

20 (a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH PROCEDURES.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 806(a) of the Bob 

22 Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fis23 cal Year 2003 (10 U.S.C. 2302 note; Public Law 

24 107–314) is amended— 


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1 (A) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘; 

2 and’’; 

3 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the pe4 riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

5 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

6 paragraph: 

7 ‘‘(3) urgently needed to support production of 

8 precision guided munitions— 

9 ‘‘(A) for United States counterterrorism 

10 missions; or 

11 ‘‘(B) to assist an ally of the United States 

12 under direct missile threat from— 

13 ‘‘(i) an organization the Secretary of 

14 State has designated as a foreign terrorist 

15 organization pursuant to section 219 of the 

16 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

17 1189); or 

18 ‘‘(ii) a country the government of 

19 which the Secretary of State has deter20 mined, for purposes of section 6(j) of the 

21 Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 

22 U.S.C. 4605(j)) (as in effect pursuant to 

23 the International Emergency Economic 

24 Powers Act), section 620A of the Foreign 

25 Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371), 


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1 section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act 

2 (22 U.S.C. 2780), or any other provision 

3 of law, is a government that has repeatedly 

4 provided support for acts of international 

5 terrorism.’’. 

6 (2) PRESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURES.—Not later 

7 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of 

8 this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe 

9 procedures for the rapid acquisition and deployment 

10 of supplies and associated support services for pur11 poses described in paragraph (3) of section 806(a) 

12 of the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization 

13 Act for Fiscal Year 2003, as added by paragraph 

14 (1)(A) of this subsection. 

15 (b) USE OF AMOUNTS IN SPECIAL DEFENSE ACQUI16 SITION FUND.—Section 114(c)(3) of title 10, United 

17 States Code, is amended by inserting before the period at 

18 the end the following: ‘‘or to assist an ally of the United 

19 States that is under direct missile threat, including from 

20 a terrorist organization supported by Iran, and such 

21 threat adversely affects the safety and security of such 

22 ally’’. 


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1 SEC. 109. ELIGIBILITY OF ISRAEL FOR THE STRATEGIC 

2 TRADE AUTHORIZATION EXCEPTION TO CER3 TAIN EXPORT CONTROL LICENSING RE4 QUIREMENTS. 

5 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find6 ings: 

7 (1) Israel has adopted high standards in the 

8 field of export controls. 

9 (2) Israel has declared its unilateral adherence 

10 to the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Aus11 tralia Group, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. 

12 (3) Israel is a party to— 

13 (A) the Convention on Prohibitions or Re14 strictions on the Use of Certain Conventional 

15 Weapons which may be Deemed to be Exces16 sively Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Ef17 fects, signed at Geneva October 10, 1980; 

18 (B) the Protocol for the Prohibition of the 

19 Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or 

20 Other Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of 

21 Warfare, signed at Geneva June 17, 1925; and 

22 (C) the Convention on the Physical Protec23 tion of Nuclear Material, adopted at Vienna Oc24 tober 26, 1979. 

25 (4) Section 6(b) of the United States-Israel 

26 Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8603 


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1 note) directs the President, consistent with the com2 mitments of the United States under international 

3 agreements, to take steps so that Israel may be in4 cluded in the list of countries eligible for the stra5 tegic trade authorization exception under section 

6 740.20(c)(1) of title 15, Code of Federal Regula7 tions, to the requirement for a license for the export, 

8 re-export, or in-country transfer of an item subject 

9 to controls under the Export Administration Regula10 tions. 

11 (5) As of December 27, 2016, the last publica12 tion of the license exceptions country list, Israel had 

13 not been included for the strategic trade authoriza14 tion exception under section 740.20 (c) (1) of title 

15 15, Code of Federal Regulations. 

16 (b) REPORT ON ELIGIBILITY FOR STRATEGIC TRADE

17 AUTHORIZATION EXCEPTION.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

19 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the 

20 President shall submit to the appropriate congres21 sional committees a report that— 

22 (A) describes the steps taken to include 

23 Israel in the list of countries eligible for the 

24 strategic trade authorization exception under 

25 section 740.20(c)(1) of title 15, Code of Federal 


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1 Regulations, as required under 6(b) of the 

2 United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act 

3 of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8603 note; Public Law 

4 113–296); and 

5 (B) includes the reasons as to why Israel 

6 has not yet been included in such list of coun7 tries eligible for the strategic trade authoriza8 tion exception. 

9 (2) FORM.—The report required under para10 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, 

11 but may contain a classified annex. 

12 TITLE II—ENHANCED UNITED 

13 STATES-ISRAEL COOPERATION 

14 SEC. 201. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL SPACE COOPERATION. 

15 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find16 ings: 

17 (1) Authorized in 1958, the National Aero18 nautics and Space Administration (NASA) supports 

19 and coordinates United States Government research 

20 in aeronautics, human exploration and operations, 

21 science, and space technology. 

22 (2) Established in 1983, the Israel Space Agen23 cy (ISA) supports the growth of Israel’s space indus24 try by supporting academic research, technological 

25 innovation, and educational activities. 


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1 (3) The mutual interest of the United States 

2 and Israel in space exploration affords both nations 

3 an opportunity to leverage their unique abilities to 

4 advance scientific discovery. 

5 (4) In 1996, NASA and the ISA entered into 

6 their first agreement outlining areas of mutual co7 operation, which remained in force until 2005. 

8 (5) Since 1996, NASA and the ISA have suc9 cessfully cooperated on many space programs sup10 porting the Global Positioning System and research 

11 related to the sun, earth science, and the environ12 ment. 

13 (6) The bond between NASA and the ISA was 

14 permanently forged on February 1, 2003, with the 

15 loss of the crew of STS–107, including Israeli Astro16 naut Ilan Ramon. 

17 (7) The United States-Israel Strategic Partner18 ship Act Of 2014 (Public Law 113–296) designated 

19 Israel as a major strategic partner of the United 

20 States. 

21 (8) On October 13, 2015, the United States 

22 and Israel signed the Framework Agreement be23 tween the National Aeronautics and Space Adminis24 tration of the United States of America and the 

25 Israel Space Agency for Cooperation in Aeronautics 


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1 and the Exploration and Use of Airspace and Outer 

2 Space for Peaceful Purposes. 

3 (b) CONTINUING COOPERATION.—The Administrator 

4 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

5 shall continue to work with the Israel Space Agency to 

6 identify and cooperatively pursue peaceful space explo7 ration and science initiatives in areas of mutual interest, 

8 taking all appropriate measures to protect sensitive infor9 mation, intellectual property, trade secrets, and economic 

10 interests of the United States. 

11 SEC. 202. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL 

12 DEVELOPMENT—ISRAEL ENHANCED CO13 OPERATION. 

14 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It should be the policy 

15 of the United States Agency for International Develop16 ment (USAID) to cooperate with Israel in order to ad17 vance common goals across a wide variety of sectors, in18 cluding energy, agriculture and food security, democracy, 

19 human rights and governance, economic growth and trade, 

20 education, environment, global health, and water and sani21 tation. 

22 (b) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—The Ad23 ministrator of the United States Agency for International 

24 Development is authorized to enter into memoranda of un25 derstanding with Israel in order to advance common goals 


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1 on energy, agriculture and food security, democracy, 

2 human rights and governance, economic growth and trade, 

3 education, environment, global health, and water and sani4 tation with a focus on strengthening mutual ties and co5 operation with nations throughout the world. 

6 SEC. 203. AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE 

7 PROJECT AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL TO 

8 COUNTER UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES 

9 THAT THREATEN THE UNITED STATES OR 

10 ISRAEL. 

11 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find12 ings: 

13 (1) On February 10, 2018, Iran launched from 

14 Syria an unmanned aerial vehicle (commonly known 

15 as a ‘‘drone’’) that penetrated Israeli airspace. 

16 (2) Israeli officials noted that the unmanned 

17 aerial vehicle was in Israeli airspace for a minute18 and-a-half before being shot down by its air force. 

19 (3) Senior Israeli officials stated that the un20 manned aerial vehicle was an advanced piece of tech21 nology. 

22 (4) It remains unclear whether the unmanned 

23 aerial vehicle was armed. Nonetheless, the launch, 

24 and sophistication of the unmanned aerial vehicle, 

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1 ial vehicles from Iranian forces active in Syria and 

2 from Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

3 (5) The United States likewise faces the threat 

4 of unmanned aerial vehicles along the United States 

5 border and in areas of active hostilities, including Is6 lamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) drones in Syria 

7 and Iraq and al Qaeda manufactured drones in Af8 ghanistan. 

9 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the 

10 Congress that— 

11 (1) joint research and development to counter 

12 unmanned aerial vehicles will serve the national se13 curity interests of the United States and Israel; 

14 (2) Israel faces urgent and emerging threats 

15 from unmanned aerial vehicles, and other unmanned 

16 vehicles, launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah, from 

17 Syria by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or from 

18 others seeking to attack Israel; and 

19 (3) the United States and Israel should con20 tinue to work together to defend against all threats 

21 to the safety, security, and national interests of both 

22 countries. 

23 (c) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized 

25 to enter into a cooperative project agreement with 


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1 Israel under the authority of section 27 of the Arms 

2 Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2767), to carry out 

3 research on and development, testing, evaluation, 

4 and joint production (including follow-on support) of 

5 defense articles and defense services to detect, track, 

6 and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles that threaten 

7 the United States or Israel. 

8 (2) APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS.—The cooper9 ative project agreement described in paragraph 

10 (1)— 

11 (A) shall provide that any activities carried 

12 out pursuant to the agreement are subject to— 

13 (i) the applicable requirements de14 scribed in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) 

15 of section 27(b)(2) of the Arms Export 

16 Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2767(b)(2)); and 

17 (ii) any other applicable requirements 

18 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 

19 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) with respect to the 

20 use, transfers, and security of such defense 

21 articles and defense services under that 

22 Act; and 

23 (B) shall establish a framework to nego24 tiate the rights to intellectual property devel25 oped under the agreement. 


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1 TITLE III—ENSURING ISRAEL’S 

2 QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE 

3 SEC. 301. IMPROVED REPORTING ON ENHANCING ISRAEL’S 

4 QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE AND SECU5 RITY POSTURE. 

6 Section 201(c)(2) the Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 

7 2008 is amended by adding at the end the following: ‘‘The 

8 report shall include an assessment of— 

9 ‘‘(A) the ability of Israel to effectively de10 fend itself against military threats from re11 gional non-state actors; 

12 ‘‘(B) the risk that is posed by the sale or 

13 export of a subsequent unauthorized transfer or 

14 proliferation of the equipment for use against 

15 Israel; 

16 ‘‘(C) the range of cyber and asymmetric 

17 threats posed to Israel by state and non-state 

18 actors; 

19 ‘‘(D) the range of threats posed to Israel 

20 by state and non-state actors through the use 

21 of unmanned vehicles and systems, through air, 

22 land, or water; and 

23 ‘‘(E) the effective countermeasures avail24 able to Israel to defend against the risks and 


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1 threats described in subparagraphs (B) through 

2 (D).’’. 

3 SEC. 302. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

4 It is the policy of the United States to ensure that 

5 Israel maintains its ability to counter and defeat any cred6 ible conventional military, or emerging, threat from any 

7 individual state or possible coalition of states or from non8 state actors, while sustaining minimal damages and cas9 ualties, through the use of superior military means, pos10 sessed in sufficient quantity, including weapons, com11 mand, control, communication, intelligence, surveillance, 

12 and reconnaissance capabilities that in their technical 

13 characteristics are superior in capability to those of such 

14 other individual or possible coalition states or non-state 

15 actors. 

16 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

17 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

18 ‘‘United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization 

19 Act of 2018’’. 

20 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

21 this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

Sec. 2. Appropriate congressional committees defined. 

TITLE I—SECURITY ASSISTANCE FOR ISRAEL 

Sec. 101. Findings. 

Sec. 102. Statement of policy regarding Israel’s defense systems. 

Sec. 103. Assistance for Israel. 

Sec. 104. Extension of war reserves stockpile authority. 

Sec. 105. Extension of loan guarantees to Israel. 


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Sec. 106. Joint assessment of quantity of precision guided munitions for use by 

Israel. 

Sec. 107. Transfer of precision guided munitions to Israel. 

Sec. 108. Modification of rapid acquisition and deployment procedures. 

Sec. 109. Eligibility of Israel for the strategic trade authorization exception to 

certain export control licensing requirements. 

TITLE II—ENHANCED UNITED STATES-ISRAEL COOPERATION 

Sec. 201. United States-Israel space cooperation. 

Sec. 202. United States Agency for International Development-Israel enhanced 

partnership for development cooperation in developing nations. 

Sec. 203. Authority to enter into a cooperative project agreement with Israel to 

counter unmanned aerial vehicles that threaten the United 

States or Israel. 

TITLE III—ENSURING ISRAEL’S QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE 

Sec. 301. Statement of policy. 

1 SEC. 2. APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES DE2 FINED. 

3 In this Act, the term ‘‘appropriate congressional com4 mittees’’ means— 

5 (1) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 

6 Committee on Armed Services of the Senate; and 

7 (2) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 

8 Committee on Armed Services of the House of Rep9 resentatives. 

10 TITLE I—SECURITY ASSISTANCE 

11 FOR ISRAEL 

12 SEC. 101. FINDINGS. 

13 Congress makes the following findings: 

14 (1) In February 1987, the United States granted 

15 Israel major non-NATO ally status. 

16 (2) On August 16, 2007, the United States and 

17 Israel signed a ten-year Memorandum of UnderVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:28 Jul 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00024 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S2497.RS S2497

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1 standing on United States military assistance to 

2 Israel. The total assistance over the course of this un3 derstanding would equal $30,000,000,000. 

4 (3) On July 27, 2012, the United States-Israel 

5 Enhanced Security Cooperation Act of 2012 (Public 

6 Law 112–150; 22 U.S.C. 8601 et seq.) declared it to 

7 be the policy of the United States ‘‘to help the Govern8 ment of Israel preserve its qualitative military edge 

9 amid rapid and uncertain regional political trans10 formation’’ and stated the sense of Congress that the 

11 United States Government should ‘‘provide the Gov12 ernment of Israel defense articles and defense services 

13 through such mechanisms as appropriate, to include 

14 air refueling tankers, missile defense capabilities, and 

15 specialized munitions’’. 

16 (4) On December 19, 2014, President Barack 

17 Obama signed into law the United States-Israel Stra18 tegic Partnership Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–296) 

19 which stated the sense of Congress that Israel is a 

20 major strategic partner of the United States and de21 clared it to be the policy of the United States ‘‘to con22 tinue to provide Israel with robust security assistance, 

23 including for the procurement of the Iron Dome Mis24 sile Defense System’’. 


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1 (5) Section 1679 of the National Defense Author2 ization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (Public Law 114– 

3 92; 129 Stat. 1135) authorized funds to be appro4 priated for Israeli cooperative missile defense pro5 gram codevelopment and coproduction, including 

6 funds to be provided to the Government of Israel to 

7 procure the David’s Sling weapon system as well as 

8 the Arrow 3 Upper Tier Interceptor Program. 

9 (6) On September 14, 2016, the United States 

10 and Israel signed a ten-year Memorandum of Under11 standing reaffirming the importance of continuing 

12 annual United States military assistance to Israel 

13 and cooperative missile defense programs in a way 

14 that enhances Israel’s security and strengthens the bi15 lateral relationship between the two countries. 

16 (7) The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding re17 flected United States support of Foreign Military Fi18 nancing (FMF) grant assistance to Israel over the ten 

19 year period beginning in fiscal year 2019 and ending 

20 in fiscal year 2028. FMF grant assistance would be 

21 at a level of $3,300,000,000 annually, totaling 

22 $33,000,000,000, the largest single pledge of military 

23 assistance ever and a reiteration of the seven-decade, 

24 unshakeable, bipartisan commitment of the United 

25 States to Israel’s security. 


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1 (8) The Memorandum of Understanding also re2 flected United States support for funding for coopera3 tive programs to develop, produce, and procure mis4 sile, rocket, and projectile defense capabilities over a 

5 ten year period beginning in fiscal year 2019 and 

6 ending in fiscal year 2028 at a level of $500,000,000 

7 per year, totaling $5,000,000,000. 

8 SEC. 102. STATEMENT OF POLICY REGARDING ISRAEL’S DE9 FENSE SYSTEMS. 

10 It shall be the policy of the United States to provide 

11 assistance to the Government of Israel in order to support 

12 funding for cooperative programs to develop, produce, and 

13 procure missile, rocket, projectile, and other defense capa14 bilities to help Israel meet its security needs and to help 

15 develop and enhance United States defense capabilities. 

16 SEC. 103. ASSISTANCE FOR ISRAEL. 

17 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR

18 ISRAEL.—Section 513(c) of the Security Assistance Act of 

19 2000 (Public Law 106–280; 114 Stat. 856) is amended— 

20 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2002 and 

21 2003’’ and inserting ‘‘2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 

22 2024, 2025, 2026, 2027, and 2028’’; 

23 (2) in paragraph (2)— 

24 (A) by striking ‘‘equal to—’’ and inserting 

25 ‘‘not less than $3,300,000,000.’’; and 


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1 (B) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B). 

2 SEC. 104. EXTENSION OF WAR RESERVES STOCKPILE AU3 THORITY. 

4 (a) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 

5 2005.—Section 12001(d) of the Department of Defense Ap6 propriations Act, 2005 (Public Law 108–287; 118 Stat. 

7 1011) is amended by striking ‘‘after September 30, 2018’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘after September 30, 2023’’. 

9 (b) FOREIGN ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.—Section 

10 514(b)(2)(A) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 

11 U.S.C. 2321h(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘2013, 

12 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2018, 

13 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.’’. 

14 SEC. 105. EXTENSION OF LOAN GUARANTEES TO ISRAEL. 

15 Chapter 5 of title I of the Emergency Wartime Supple16 mental Appropriations Act, 2003 (Public Law 108–11; 117 

17 Stat. 576) is amended under the heading ‘‘LOAN GUARAN18 TEES TO ISRAEL’’— 

19 (1) in the matter preceding the first proviso, by 

20 striking ‘‘September 30, 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘Sep21 tember 30, 2023’’; and 

22 (2) in the second proviso, by striking ‘‘September 

23 30, 2019’’ and inserting ‘‘September 30, 2023’’. 


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1 SEC. 106. JOINT ASSESSMENT OF QUANTITY OF PRECISION 

2 GUIDED MUNITIONS FOR USE BY ISRAEL. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 

4 Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, is author5 ized to conduct a joint assessment with the Government of 

6 Israel with respect to the matters described in subsection 

7 (b). 

8 (b) MATTERS DESCRIBED.—The matters described in 

9 this subsection are the following: 

10 (1) The quantity and type of precision guided 

11 munitions that are necessary for Israel to combat 

12 Hezbollah in the event of a sustained armed con13 frontation between Israel and Hezbollah. 

14 (2) The quantity and type of precision guided 

15 munitions that are necessary for Israel in the event 

16 of a sustained armed confrontation with other armed 

17 groups and terrorist organizations such as Hamas. 

18 (3) The resources the Government of Israel can 

19 plan to dedicate to acquire such precision guided mu20 nitions. 

21 (4) United States plans to assist Israel to pre22 pare for sustained armed confrontations described in 

23 this subsection as well as the ability of the United 

24 States to resupply Israel with precision guided muni25 tions in the event of confrontations described in para26 graphs (1) and (2), if any. 


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1 (c) REPORT.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 15 days after 

3 the date on which the joint assessment authorized 

4 under subsection (a) is completed, the President shall 

5 submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 

6 report that contains the joint assessment. 

7 (2) FORM.—The report required under para8 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 

9 may contain a classified annex. 

10 SEC. 107. TRANSFER OF PRECISION GUIDED MUNITIONS TO 

11 ISRAEL. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding section 514 of the 

13 Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321h), the 

14 President is authorized to sell such quantities of precision 

15 guided munitions from reserve stocks to Israel as necessary 

16 for legitimate self-defense and otherwise consistent with the 

17 purposes and conditions for such sales under the Arms Ex18 port Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.). 

19 (b) CERTIFICATIONS.—Except in case of emergency, 

20 not later than 5 days before making a sale under this sec21 tion, the President shall certify in an unclassified notifica22 tion to the appropriate congressional committees that the 

23 sale of the precision guided munitions— 


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1 (1) does not affect the ability of the United 

2 States to maintain a sufficient supply of precision 

3 guided munitions; 

4 (2) does not harm the combat readiness of the 

5 United States or the ability of the United States to 

6 meet its commitment to allies for the transfer of such 

7 munitions; and 

8 (3) is necessary for Israel to counter the threat 

9 of rockets in a timely fashion. 

10 SEC. 108. MODIFICATION OF RAPID ACQUISITION AND DE11 PLOYMENT PROCEDURES. 

12 (a) REQUIREMENT TO ESTABLISH PROCEDURES.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 806(a) of the Bob 

14 Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 

15 Year 2003 (10 U.S.C. 2302 note; Public Law 107– 

16 314) is amended— 

17 (A) in paragraph (1)(C), by striking ‘‘; 

18 and’’; 

19 (B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period 

20 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

21 (C) by adding at the end the following new 

22 paragraph: 

23 ‘‘(3) urgently needed to support production of 

24 precision guided munitions— 


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1 ‘‘(A) for United States counterterrorism 

2 missions; or 

3 ‘‘(B) to assist an ally of the United States 

4 under direct missile threat from— 

5 ‘‘(i) an organization the Secretary of 

6 State has designated as a foreign terrorist 

7 organization pursuant to section 219 of the 

8 Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 

9 1189); or 

10 ‘‘(ii) a country the government of 

11 which the Secretary of State has deter12 mined, for purposes of section 6(j) of the 

13 Export Administration Act of 1979 (50 

14 U.S.C. 4605(j)) (as in effect pursuant to the 

15 International Emergency Economic Powers 

16 Act), section 620A of the Foreign Assistance 

17 Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2371), section 40 of 

18 the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 

19 2780), or any other provision of law, is a 

20 government that has repeatedly provided 

21 support for acts of international ter22 rorism.’’. 

23 (2) PRESCRIPTION OF PROCEDURES.—Not later 

24 than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this 

25 Act, the Secretary of Defense shall prescribe proceVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:28 Jul 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S2497.RS S2497

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1 dures for the rapid acquisition and deployment of 

2 supplies and associated support services for purposes 

3 described in paragraph (3) of section 806(a) of the 

4 Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for 

5 Fiscal Year 2003, as added by paragraph (1)(A) of 

6 this subsection. 

7 (b) USE OF AMOUNTS IN SPECIAL DEFENSE ACQUISI8 TION FUND.—Section 114(c)(3) of title 10, United States 

9 Code, is amended by inserting before the period at the end 

10 the following: ‘‘or to assist an ally of the United States that 

11 is under direct missile threat, including from a terrorist 

12 organization supported by Iran, and such threat adversely 

13 affects the safety and security of such ally’’. 

14 SEC. 109. ELIGIBILITY OF ISRAEL FOR THE STRATEGIC 

15 TRADE AUTHORIZATION EXCEPTION TO CER16 TAIN EXPORT CONTROL LICENSING REQUIRE17 MENTS. 

18 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

19 (1) Israel has adopted high standards in the field 

20 of export controls. 

21 (2) Israel has declared its unilateral adherence to 

22 the Missile Technology Control Regime, the Australia 

23 Group, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group. 

24 (3) Israel is a party to— 


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1 (A) the Convention on Prohibitions or Re2 strictions on the Use of Certain Conventional 

3 Weapons which may be Deemed to be Excessively 

4 Injurious or to Have Indiscriminate Effects, 

5 signed at Geneva October 10, 1980; 

6 (B) the Protocol for the Prohibition of the 

7 Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or Other 

8 Gases, and of Bacteriological Methods of War9 fare, signed at Geneva June 17, 1925; and 

10 (C) the Convention on the Physical Protec11 tion of Nuclear Material, adopted at Vienna Oc12 tober 26, 1979. 

13 (4) Section 6(b) of the United States-Israel Stra14 tegic Partnership Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8603 note) 

15 directs the President, consistent with the commitments 

16 of the United States under international agreements, 

17 to take steps so that Israel may be included in the list 

18 of countries eligible for the strategic trade authoriza19 tion exception under section 740.20(c)(1) of title 15, 

20 Code of Federal Regulations, to the requirement for a 

21 license for the export, reexport, or in-country transfer 

22 of an item subject to controls under the Export Ad23 ministration Regulations. 

24 (b) REPORT ON ELIGIBILITY FOR STRATEGIC TRADE

25 AUTHORIZATION EXCEPTION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the President 

3 shall submit to the appropriate congressional commit4 tees a report that— 

5 (A) describes the steps taken to include 

6 Israel in the list of countries eligible for the stra7 tegic trade authorization exception as required 

8 under 6(b) of the United States-Israel Strategic 

9 Partnership Act of 2014 (22 U.S.C. 8603 note; 

10 Public Law 113–296); and 

11 (B) includes what steps are necessary for 

12 Israel to be included in such a list of countries 

13 eligible for the strategic trade authorization ex14 ception. 

15 (2) FORM.—The report required under para16 graph (1) shall be submitted in unclassified form, but 

17 may contain a classified annex. 

18 TITLE II—ENHANCED UNITED 

19 STATES-ISRAEL COOPERATION 

20 SEC. 201. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL SPACE COOPERATION. 

21 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

22 (1) Authorized in 1958, the National Aeronautics 

23 and Space Administration (NASA) supports and co24 ordinates United States Government research in aeroVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:28 Jul 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S2497.RS S2497

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1 nautics, human exploration and operations, science, 

2 and space technology. 

3 (2) Established in 1983, the Israel Space Agency 

4 (ISA) supports the growth of Israel’s space industry 

5 by supporting academic research, technological inno6 vation, and educational activities. 

7 (3) The mutual interest of the United States and 

8 Israel in space exploration affords both nations an 

9 opportunity to leverage their unique abilities to ad10 vance scientific discovery. 

11 (4) In 1996, NASA and the ISA entered into an 

12 agreement outlining areas of mutual cooperation, 

13 which remained in force until 2005. 

14 (5) Since 1996, NASA and the ISA have success15 fully cooperated on many space programs supporting 

16 the Global Positioning System and research related to 

17 the sun, earth science, and the environment. 

18 (6) The bond between NASA and the ISA was 

19 permanently forged on February 1, 2003, with the 

20 loss of the crew of STS–107, including Israeli Astro21 naut Ilan Ramon. 

22 (7) On October 13, 2015, the United States and 

23 Israel signed the Framework Agreement between the 

24 National Aeronautics and Space Administration of 

25 the United States of America and the Israel Space 


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1 Agency for Cooperation in Aeronautics and the Ex2 ploration and Use of Airspace and Outer Space for 

3 Peaceful Purposes. 

4 (b) CONTINUING COOPERATION.—The Administrator 

5 of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration 

6 shall continue to work with the Israel Space Agency to iden7 tify and cooperatively pursue peaceful space exploration 

8 and science initiatives in areas of mutual interest, taking 

9 all appropriate measures to protect sensitive information, 

10 intellectual property, trade secrets, and economic interests 

11 of the United States. 

12 SEC. 202. UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL 

13 DEVELOPMENT-ISRAEL ENHANCED PARTNER14 SHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION IN 

15 DEVELOPING NATIONS. 

16 (a) STATEMENT OF POLICY.—It should be the policy 

17 of the United States Agency for International Development 

18 (USAID) to partner with Israel in order to advance com19 mon goals across a wide variety of sectors, including energy, 

20 agriculture and food security, democracy, human rights 

21 and governance, economic growth and trade, education, en22 vironment, global health, and water and sanitation. 

23 (b) MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.—The Admin24 istrator of the United States Agency for International De25 velopment is authorized to enter into memoranda of underVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:28 Jul 18, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00037 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\S2497.RS S2497

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1 standing with Israel in order to enhance coordination on 

2 advancing common goals on energy, agriculture and food 

3 security, democracy, human rights and governance, eco4 nomic growth and trade, education, environment, global 

5 health, and water and sanitation with a focus on strength6 ening mutual ties and cooperation with nations throughout 

7 the world. 

8 SEC. 203. AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE 

9 PROJECT AGREEMENT WITH ISRAEL TO 

10 COUNTER UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES 

11 THAT THREATEN THE UNITED STATES OR 

12 ISRAEL. 

13 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

14 (1) On February 10, 2018, Iran launched from 

15 Syria an unmanned aerial vehicle (commonly known 

16 as a ‘‘drone’’) that penetrated Israeli airspace. 

17 (2) According to a press report, the unmanned 

18 aerial vehicle was in Israeli airspace for a minute 

19 and a half before being shot down by its air force. 

20 (3) Senior Israeli officials stated that the un21 manned aerial vehicle was an advanced piece of tech22 nology. 

23 (b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of the Con24 gress that— 


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1 (1) joint research and development to counter 

2 unmanned aerial vehicles will serve the national secu3 rity interests of the United States and Israel; 

4 (2) Israel faces urgent and emerging threats from 

5 unmanned aerial vehicles, and other unmanned vehi6 cles, launched from Lebanon by Hezbollah, from 

7 Syria by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, or from 

8 others seeking to attack Israel; 

9 (3) efforts to counter unmanned aerial vehicles 

10 should include the feasibility of utilizing directed en11 ergy and high powered microwave technologies, which 

12 can disable vehicles without kinetic destruction; and 

13 (4) the United States and Israel should continue 

14 to work together to defend against all threats to the 

15 safety, security, and national interests of both coun16 tries. 

17 (c) AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO AGREEMENT.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized to 

19 enter into a cooperative project agreement with Israel 

20 under the authority of section 27 of the Arms Export 

21 Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2767), to carry out research 

22 on, and development, testing, evaluation, and joint 

23 production (including follow-on support) of, defense 

24 articles and defense services, such as the use of di25 rected energy or high powered microwave technology, 


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1 to detect, track, and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles 

2 that threaten the United States or Israel. 

3 (2) APPLICABLE REQUIREMENTS.—The coopera4 tive project agreement described in paragraph (1) 

5 shall— 

6 (A) provide that any activities carried out 

7 pursuant to the agreement are subject to— 

8 (i) the applicable requirements de9 scribed in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) 

10 of section 27(b)(2) of the Arms Export Con11 trol Act (22 U.S.C. 2767(b)(2)); and 

12 (ii) any other applicable requirements 

13 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 

14 2751 et seq.) with respect to the use, trans15 fers, and security of such defense articles 

16 and defense services under that Act; 

17 (B) establish a framework to negotiate the 

18 rights to intellectual property developed under 

19 the agreement; and 

20 (C) include appropriate protections for sen21 sitive technology. 


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1 TITLE III—ENSURING ISRAEL’S 

2 QUALITATIVE MILITARY EDGE 

3 SEC. 301. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

4 It is the policy of the United States to ensure that 

5 Israel maintains its ability to counter and defeat any cred6 ible conventional military, or emerging, threat from any 

7 individual state or possible coalition of states or from non8 state actors, while sustaining minimal damages and casual9 ties, through the use of superior military means, possessed 

10 in sufficient quantity, including weapons, command, con11 trol, communication, intelligence, surveillance, and recon12 naissance capabilities that in their technical characteristics 

13 are superior in capability to those of such other individual 

14 or possible coalition states or non-state actors. 


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Calendar No. 519 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2497 

A BILL 

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and 

funds to Israel, and for other purposes. provisions and to authorize the appropriations of ments to certain defense and security assistance the Arms Export Control Act to make improveJULY 17, 2018 

Reported with an amendment 


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