I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1795 
To authorize the Secretary of Defense, upon request of the Ministry of 
Defense of Israel and with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, 
to carry out research, development, test, and evaluation activities, on 
a joint basis with Israel, to establish directed energy capabilities that 
address threats to the United States, deployed forces of the United 
States, or Israel, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 14, 2019 
Mr. TED LIEU of California (for himself and Ms. STEFANIK) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services, 
and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, 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 con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Defense, upon request of the 
Ministry of Defense of Israel and with the concurrence 
of the Secretary of State, to carry out research, develop-
ment, test, and evaluation activities, on a joint basis 
with Israel, to establish directed energy capabilities that 
address threats to the United States, deployed forces 
of the United States, or Israel, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘United States-Israel 
Directed Energy Cooperation Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Directed energy platforms are electro-
magnetic systems capable of converting chemical or 
electrical energy to radiated energy and focusing it 
on a target, resulting in physical damage that de-
grades or neutralizes an adversarial capability. 
These systems include high-energy lasers that emit 
photons and high-power microwaves that release ra-
diofrequency waves. 
(2) Directed energy platforms hold enormous 
potential for non-lethal, defensive capabilities, in-
cluding protection against advanced missiles and 
swarms of unmanned aerial systems. 
(3) At a fraction of the per-use cost of kinetic 
defense platforms, directed energy capabilities could 
greatly enhance the deterrence posture of the United 
States and protect against emerging threats such as 
hypersonic and maneuverable missiles. 
(4) The United States and Israel successfully 
partnered on directed energy capabilities during the 
1990s and early 2000s based on earlier-generation 
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chemical laser technology, including the Tactical 
High Energy Laser (THEL). 
(5) In response to technological advances and 
emerging threats, the United States has increased 
investments in next-generation directed energy capa-
bilities and is exploring the potential for boost-phase 
ballistic missile defense with the Low-Power Laser 
Demonstrator program. Existing programs within 
each service branch are developing technologies to 
protect members of the Armed Forces from rocket, 
artillery, mortar, and unmanned aerial systems. 
(6) Since 2014, Israel has been developing Iron 
Beam, a laser platform to intercept mortars. In re-
sponse to a growing missile threat, Israel’s Ministry 
of Defense has increased investments in directed en-
ergy capabilities in recent years. 
(7) In 2017, the Department of Defense issued 
a report to Congress on the merits of renewed 
United States-Israel cooperation on directed energy, 
concluding that, ‘‘The United States should pursue 
joint collaboration with Israel on directed energy ca-
pabilities.’’. 
(8) In 2018, while offering remarks at the Di-
rected Energy Summit, Undersecretary of Defense 
for Research and Engineering Michael Griffin ex-
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pressed support for the United States partnering 
with allies to develop directed energy technologies. 
(9) In 2019, the U.S. Missile Defense Review 
highlighted the promise that high-powered laser 
technology holds for boost-phase ballistic missile de-
fense. 
SEC. 3. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL DIRECTED ENERGY CAPA-
BILITIES COOPERATION. 
(a) AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense, 
upon request of the Ministry of Defense of Israel 
and with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, 
is authorized to carry out research, development, 
test, and evaluation activities, on a joint basis with 
Israel, to establish directed energy capabilities that 
address threats to the United States, deployed forces 
of the United States, or Israel. Any activities carried 
out pursuant to such authority shall be conducted in 
a manner that appropriately protects sensitive infor-
mation and the national security interests of the 
United States and the national security interests of 
Israel. 
(2) REPORT.—The activities described in para-
graph (1) may be carried out after the Secretary of 
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Defense submits to the appropriate committees of 
Congress a report setting forth the following: 
(A) A memorandum of agreement between 
the United States and Israel regarding sharing 
of research and development costs for the capa-
bilities described in paragraph (1), and any 
supporting documents. 
(B) A certification that the memorandum 
of agreement— 
(i) requires sharing of costs of 
projects, including in-kind support, be-
tween the United States and Israel; 
(ii) establishes a framework to nego-
tiate the rights to any intellectual property 
developed under the memorandum of 
agreement; and 
(iii) requires the United States Gov-
ernment to receive semiannual reports on 
expenditure of funds, if any, by the Gov-
ernment of Israel, including a description 
of what the funds have been used for, 
when funds were expended, and an identi-
fication of entities that expended the 
funds. 
(b) SUPPORT IN CONNECTION WITH ACTIVITIES.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Defense is 
authorized to provide maintenance and sustainment 
support to Israel for the directed energy capabilities 
research, development, test, and evaluation activities 
authorized in subsection (a)(1). Such authority in-
cludes authority to install equipment necessary to 
carry out such research, development, test, and eval-
uation. 
(2) REPORT.—The support described in para-
graph (1) may not be provided until 15 days after 
the Secretary of Defense submits to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a report setting forth a de-
tailed description of the support to be provided. 
(3) MATCHING
CONTRIBUTION.—The support 
described in paragraph (1) may not be provided un-
less the Secretary of Defense certifies to the appro-
priate committees of Congress that the Government 
of Israel will contribute to such support— 
(A) an amount equal to not less than the 
amount of support to be so provided; or 
(B) an amount that otherwise meets the 
best efforts of Israel, as mutually agreed to by 
the United States and Israel. 
(c) LEAD AGENCY.—The Secretary of Defense shall 
designate an appropriate research and development entity 
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of a military department as the lead agency of the Depart-
ment of Defense in carrying out this section. 
(d) SEMIANNUAL REPORT.—The Secretary of De-
fense shall submit to the appropriate committees of Con-
gress on a semiannual basis a report that contains a copy 
of the most recent semiannual report provided by the Gov-
ernment of Israel to the Department of Defense pursuant 
to subsection (a)(2)(B)(iii). 
(e) APPROPRIATE COMMITTEES OF CONGRESS DE-
FINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘appropriate commit-
tees of Congress’’ means— 
(1) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on 
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, the 
Committee on Appropriations, and the Select Com-
mittee on Intelligence of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on Armed Services, the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on 
Homeland Security, the Committee on Appropria-
tions, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intel-
ligence of the House of Representatives. 
Æ 
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