Title: U.S.-Israel Indirect Fire Protection Act of 2019
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
U.S.-Israel Indirect Fire Protection Act of 2019
This bill authorizes the Department of the Army to procure two Iron Dome batteries by September 30, 2020, to deploy an interim missile defense capability and authorizes funds to carry out the procurement. Iron Dome is an Israeli short-range anti-rocket system.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3186 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3186

 To authorize the Secretary of the Army to procure two Iron Dome short-
     range rocket defense system batteries, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 2019

Ms. Sherrill (for herself and Mr. Wilson of South Carolina) introduced 
   the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of the Army to procure two Iron Dome short-
     range rocket defense system batteries, 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 ``U.S.-Israel Indirect Fire Protection 
Act of 2019''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) On July 27, 2012, the United States-Israel Enhanced 
        Security Cooperation Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-150; 22 U.S.C. 
        8601 et seq.) declared it to be the policy of the United States 
        ``to help the Government of Israel preserve its qualitative 
        military edge amid rapid and uncertain regional political 
        transformation'' and ``provide Israel defense articles and 
        services, to include air refueling tankers, missile defense 
        capabilities, and specialized munitions''.
            (2) On December 19, 2014, the President signed into law the 
        United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014 (Public 
        Law 113-296) which stated the sense of Congress that Israel is 
        a major strategic partner of the United States and declared it 
        to be the policy of the United States ``to continue to provide 
        Israel with robust security assistance, including for the 
        procurement of the Iron Dome Missile Defense System''.
            (3) In 2014, both governments signed a co-production 
        agreement to produce Iron Dome's components in the United 
        States.
            (4) The United States has provided more than $1,400,000,000 
        to Israel for Iron Dome batteries, coproduction costs, and 
        general maintenance.
            (5) More than 70 percent of the Iron Dome interceptor is 
        manufactured in the United States.
            (6) The Iron Dome system is now a fielded, battle-tested 
        capability in Israel with more than 1,700 confirmed air defense 
        intercepts and provides a rapid approach to delivering air 
        defense capabilities for the United States.
            (7) As outlined in the National Defense Strategy, the Army 
        has critical capability gaps for cruise missile defense, as 
        well as counter-unmanned aerial systems and counter-rocket, 
        artillery, and mortars.
            (8) In October 2018, the Army reported to Congress that, 
        ``The Iron Dome System has capability against cruise missiles, 
        unmanned aircraft systems, and rocket, artillery, and mortar 
        fire,'' and ``provides the best value to the Army as an interim 
        capability.''.
            (9) In February 2019, the Army Futures Command issued a 
        statement noting an ``intent to procure a limited number of 
        Iron Dome weapon systems to fill its short-term need for an 
        interim Indirect Fire Protection Capability.''.
            (10) The Army reported to Congress that ``Iron Dome meets 
        the Army's modernization vision of rapid deployment of a mature 
        and affordable weapon system.''.
            (11) Any delay in procuring the Iron Dome batteries for the 
        Army jeopardizes the ability of the Army to field an initial 
        capability in 2020 and creates continued risk to warfighters by 
        leaving this identified critical capability gap unfulfilled.
            (12) At an April 2, 2019, hearing by the Committee on Armed 
        Services of the House of Representatives, the Chief of Staff of 
        the Army General Mark Milley stated, ``The Iron Dome is a very 
        capable system. It has basically a 100 percent track record in 
        combat. We clearly need it to protect our formations, and we 
        are buying the two batteries.''.
            (13) Section 112 of the John S. McCain National Defense 
        Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115-232) 
        provides that--
                    (A) if the Secretary of Defense certifies the need 
                for the Army to deploy an interim missile defense 
                capability, the Secretary of the Army shall deploy at 
                least two batteries to provide such capability not 
                later than September 30, 2020, and an additional two 
                batteries not later than September 30, 2023; and
                    (B) to meet such deadlines for deployment, the 
                Secretary of the Army may--
                            (i) deploy such systems that ``require the 
                        least amount of development''; and
                            (ii) use any authority of the Secretary 
                        relating to acquisition, technology transfer, 
                        and personnel management that the Secretary 
                        considers appropriate, including rapid 
                        acquisition and rapid prototyping authorities, 
                        to resource and procure an interim missile 
                        defense capability.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO PROCURE IRON DOME BATTERIES.

    (a) Authority.--Pursuant to paragraph (3) of section 112(b) of the 
John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 
(Public Law 115-232), the Secretary of the Army may procure two Iron 
Dome batteries to carry out paragraph (1)(A) of such section to deploy 
an interim missile defense capability by not later than September 30, 
2020.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $9,337,000 to the Secretary of the Army to carry out 
subsection (a).
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