Title: United States-Israel Directed Energy Cooperation Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
United States-Israel Directed Energy Cooperation Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD), upon request from Israel and with the concurrence of the Department of State, to jointly carry out research and testing of directed energy capabilities with Israel. (Directed energy systems are capable of converting chemical or electrical energy into radiated energy and focusing it on a target.) DOD may provide maintenance and sustainment support for such activities if Israel matches U.S. funds provided for such support or otherwise provides an amount that meets Israel's best efforts.
The bill imposes various reporting requirements related to such joint research.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1795 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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 concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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, 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.

    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 ``United States-Israel Directed Energy 
Cooperation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) Directed energy platforms are electromagnetic systems 
        capable of converting chemical or electrical energy to radiated 
        energy and focusing it on a target, resulting in physical 
        damage that degrades or neutralizes an adversarial capability. 
        These systems include high-energy lasers that emit photons and 
        high-power microwaves that release radiofrequency waves.
            (2) Directed energy platforms hold enormous potential for 
        non-lethal, defensive capabilities, including 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 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 capabilities 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 response to a growing 
        missile threat, Israel's Ministry of Defense has increased 
        investments in directed energy 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 capabilities.''.
            (8) In 2018, while offering remarks at the Directed Energy 
        Summit, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering 
        Michael Griffin expressed 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 defense.

SEC. 3. UNITED STATES-ISRAEL DIRECTED ENERGY CAPABILITIES 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 information and the national 
        security interests of the United States and the national 
        security interests of Israel.
            (2) Report.--The activities described in paragraph (1) may 
        be carried out after the Secretary of 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 capabilities 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, between the United 
                        States and Israel;
                            (ii) establishes a framework to negotiate 
                        the rights to any intellectual property 
                        developed under the memorandum of agreement; 
                        and
                            (iii) requires the United States Government 
                        to receive semiannual reports on expenditure of 
                        funds, if any, by the Government of Israel, 
                        including a description of what the funds have 
                        been used for, when funds were expended, and an 
                        identification of entities that expended the 
                        funds.
    (b) Support in Connection With Activities.--
            (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 includes authority to install equipment necessary to 
        carry out such research, development, test, and evaluation.
            (2) Report.--The support described in paragraph (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 detailed description of the support to be 
        provided.
            (3) Matching contribution.--The support described in 
        paragraph (1) may not be provided unless the Secretary of 
        Defense certifies to the appropriate 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 of a military department as 
the lead agency of the Department of Defense in carrying out this 
section.
    (d) Semiannual Report.--The Secretary of Defense shall submit to 
the appropriate committees of Congress on a semiannual basis a report 
that contains a copy of the most recent semiannual report provided by 
the Government of Israel to the Department of Defense pursuant to 
subsection (a)(2)(B)(iii).
    (e) Appropriate Committees of Congress Defined.--In this section, 
the term ``appropriate committees 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 Committee 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 Appropriations, and the Permanent Select Committee 
        on Intelligence of the House of Representatives.
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