United States-Israel Maritime Security Partnership Act of 2016

To authorize the President to provide assistance to Israel to protect the coastline of Israel and natural gas fields located in the exclusive economic zone of Israel, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the United States-Israel Maritime Security Partnership Act of 2016 2. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) In 2010, a major natural gas field—named the Leviathan gas field—was discovered off the coast of Israel. (2) It has been estimated that the Leviathan gas field and the Tamar gas field, two major natural gas fields located approximately 90 miles west of Haifa, contain 620 billion cubic meters and 280 billion cubic meters of natural gas respectively. (3) The two gas fields could have major ge­o­stra­te­gic implications for Israel and facilitate cooperation between Israel and its neighbors. (4) The gas drilling sites represent strategic infrastructure that are potential targets for terrorist organizations, like Hezbollah and Hamas, seeking to cause harm to Israel and its interests. (5) The discovery of large gas reserves in the exclusive economic zone of Israel necessitates the deployment of new naval capabilities of Israel to protect these resources. (6) Hezbollah reportedly possesses the Russian cruise missile, Yakhont, which is capable of striking Israel’s coast, putting key Israeli infrastructure and economic assets within range. (7) Hezbollah has previously deployed anti-ship missiles, including during a 2006 attack on an Israeli naval vessel that killed four Israeli sailors. (8) During Operation Protective Edge in 2014, Hamas claimed responsibility for firing rockets at Israeli natural gas installations 19 miles off the coast of Gaza. (9) United States-Israeli cooperation to combat Israel’s varied security threats has proven beneficial to both countries. (10) The provision of United States assistance to Israel to protect the coastline of Israel and natural gas fields located in the exclusive economic zone of Israel will be critical to enabling Israel to develop its energy infrastructure and further integrate Israel into regional and European economies. 3. Authorization of United States assistance to Israel to protect the coastline of Israel and natural gas fields located in the exclusive economic zone of Israel (a) In general The President is authorized to provide assistance to Israel to protect the coastline of Israel and natural gas fields located in the exclusive economic zone of Israel. (b) Activities supported Activities that may be supported by assistance under subsection (a) include the following: (1) Procurement, maintenance, and sus­tain­ment of the David’s Sling Weapon System for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles launched at the coastline of Israel and natural gas fields described in subsection (a). (2) Payment of incremental expenses of Israel that are incurred by Israel as the direct result of participation in a bilateral or multilateral military exercise of the United States Navy or Coast Guard, including pursuant to section 2010 of title 10, United States Code. (3) Conduct of increased visits of United States naval vessels at ports of Israel. (4) Conduct of joint research and development for advanced maritime domain awareness capabilities. (c) Sunset This section shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.

Summary: United States-Israel Maritime Security Partnership Act of 2016 This bill authorizes the President to provide assistance to Israel to protect Israel's coastline and natural gas fields located in its exclusive economic zone. Activities that may be supported by such assistance include: procurement and sustainment of the David's Sling Weapon System, payment of incremental expenses incurred by Israel resulting from participation in a bilateral or multilateral military exercise of the U.S. Navy or Coast Guard, conduct of increased U.S. naval vessel visits at Israeli ports, and conduct of joint research and development for advanced maritime domain awareness capabilities.