Title: Deterring and Defeating Rocket and Missile Threats to Israel Act of 2018
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
Deterring and Defeating Rocket and Missile Threats to Israel Act of 2018
This bill authorizes the President to provide assistance to Israel, under jointly agreed-upon exceptional circumstances, for procurement of missile defense systems (including the Iron Dome, David's Sling, and Arrow systems) and missile defense development.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5126 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5126

To authorize assistance for procurement of missile defense systems for 
                    Israel, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2018

   Mrs. Murphy of Florida (for herself and Mr. Mast) 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 authorize assistance for procurement of missile defense systems for 
                    Israel, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Deterring and Defeating Rocket and 
Missile Threats to Israel Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Israel is surrounded by adversaries. Threats to Israel 
        emanate from Hezbollah in Lebanon to the north, from the 
        Iranian-supported regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria to the 
        northeast, from Hamas in the Gaza Strip to the south, and from 
        Iran to the east. Each of these state and non-state actors 
        possess an arsenal of rockets or missiles that could be used to 
        target Israel.
            (2) Iran possesses the largest and most diverse missile 
        arsenal in the Middle East, with thousands of medium-range 
        ballistic and cruise missiles capable of striking Israel.
            (3) While Syria has used much of its ballistic missile 
        inventory during its nearly seven-year civil war, it still 
        maintains a robust arsenal of short-range ballistic missiles 
        capable of striking Israel.
            (4) Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza possess almost 
        12,000 rockets that threaten southern Israel.
            (5) Hezbollah, an entity designated as a terrorist 
        organization by the Department of State and the European Union, 
        continues to procure rockets to deploy against Israel in 
        violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 
        (2006).
            (6) According to open source reporting, Hezbollah has 
        developed an arsenal of between 100,000 and 150,000 rockets, 
        and is seeking to develop an indigenous rocket production 
        capability.
            (7) In total, there are thousands of missiles and 230,000 
        rockets aimed at Israel. In 2016, the Israeli military 
        estimated that, in the event of a conflict in which rockets and 
        missiles were fired at Israel from all directions, between 250 
        and 400 civilians would likely be killed in the conflict, 
        including dozens in the Tel Aviv area. Hezbollah alone could 
        launch 1,200 rockets each day, a barrage that would overwhelm 
        Israel's missile defense capabilities.
            (8) The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding Between the United 
        States and Israel (relating to security assistance for fiscal 
        years 2019 through 2028) committed the United States to provide 
        $500 million annually to support Israel's missile defense 
        programs.
            (9) The 2016 Memorandum of Understanding further states 
        that ``both sides jointly commit to respect the missile defense 
        funding levels specified in this MOU'' and that Israel may seek 
        additional support in ``exceptional circumstances as may be 
        jointly agreed by the U.S. administration and Israel''.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the United States stands behind Israel in its quest for 
        peace and security;
            (2) the United States should support Israel's efforts to 
        defend itself against its adversaries, including by 
        facilitating the procurement of missile defense systems 
        critical to the protection of Israel's population; and
            (3) there are currently an insufficient number of missile 
        defense systems and interceptors to address the full scope of 
        Israel's self-defense requirements in light of the rocket and 
        missile threat to Israel.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF ASSISTANCE FOR PROCUREMENT OF MISSILE DEFENSE 
              SYSTEMS FOR ISRAEL.

    (a) In General.--The President, acting through the Secretary of 
Defense and the Secretary of State, is authorized to provide 
assistance, upon request of the Government of Israel and for jointly 
agreed upon exceptional circumstances, to the Government of Israel for 
the procurement of missile defense systems, including the Iron Dome, 
David Sling, and Arrow systems, additional interceptors for those 
systems or any future missile defense systems, and missile defense 
development.
    (b) Rule of Construction.--Any assistance provided under the 
authority of subsection (a) is in addition to any assistance provided 
under the authority specified in the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding 
Between the United States and Israel.
    (c) Limitation.--The authority specified in subsection (a) shall be 
exclusively for the purpose of enhancing Israeli missile defense, 
consistent with the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding Between the United 
States and Israel, to address mutually agreed-upon exceptional 
circumstances.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 10 days after the date on which the 
United States Government receives a request from the Government of 
Israel as described in subsection (a), the Secretary of Defense, with 
the concurrence of the Secretary of State, shall submit to Congress a 
report that contains the following:
            (1) A written copy of the request from the Government of 
        Israel.
            (2) An assessment of the request from the Government of 
        Israel.
            (3) The urgent nature of the rocket and missile threat to 
        Israel and a description of potential attacks against Israel 
        which would justify exceeding the annual amount of United 
        States assistance to support Israel's missile defense programs 
        under the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding Between the United 
        States and Israel.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the President such sums as may be necessary to carry out this 
        section.
            (2) Replenishment.--If amounts made available for the 
        Missile Defense Agency are used to carry out this section for a 
        fiscal year, the President shall replenish such amounts for the 
        Missile Defense Agency for the subsequent fiscal year from 
        amounts made available pursuant to the authorization of 
        appropriations under paragraph (1) for such subsequent fiscal 
        year.
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