Israel – United States military relations Military relations between Israel and the United States have been consistently close , reflecting shared security interests in the Middle East . A major purchaser and user of U . S . military equipment , Israel is also involved in the joint development of military technology and regularly engages in joint military exercises involving United States and other forces . The relationship has deepened gradually over time , though , as Alan Dowty puts it , it was " not a simple linear process of growing cooperation , but rather a series of tendentious bargaining situations with different strategic and political components in each . " U . S . President Obama ' s former Secretary of Defense Robert M . Gates categorized the relationship between U . S . and Israel with the following : " I cannot recall a time during my public life when our two countries have had a closer defense relationship . The U . S . and Israel are cooperating closely in areas such as missile defense technology , the Joint Strike Fighter , and in training exercises such as Juniper Stallion . . . our bilateral relationship and this dialogue is so critical because Israel lives at the focal point of some of the biggest security challenges facing the free world : violent extremism , the proliferation of nuclear technologies , and the dilemmas posed by adversarial and failed states . And I think it important , especially at a time of such dramatic change in the region , to reaffirm once more America ’ s unshakable commitment to Israel ’ s security . " Overview . Following the Second World War , the “ new postwar era witnessed an intensive involvement of the United States in the political and economic affairs of the Middle East , in contrast to the hands - off attitude characteristic of the prewar period . [ U ] nder Truman the United States had to face and define its policy in all three sectors that provided the root causes of American interests in the region : the Soviet threat , the birth of Israel , and petroleum . ” During the first twenty years following Israel ' s independence , United States policy in the Middle East was driven by two major policy concerns : The prevention of an arms race in the Near East , and the prevention of the spread of Soviet influence . The Truman Administration promulgated the Tripartite Declaration of 1950 for these reasons , as well as to guarantee the territorial " status quo " determined by 1949 Armistice Agreements . Israel ' s main military patron at the time was France , which supported Israel by providing it with advanced military equipment and technology , such as the Dassault Mystère fighter - bomber aircraft . Initially , the U . S . government resisted pressure by Israel and Arab countries in the region to sell them advanced weapons . In response to the supply of advanced fighter aircraft by the USSR to Iraq and the United Arab Republic , the U . S . government agreed to sell MIM - 23 Hawk anti - aircraft missiles to Israel in 1962 , as a " specific action designed to meet a specific situation " which " by no means constitutes change in U . S . policy in area . " . The Hawk system was approved on the grounds that it was a " purely defensive " weapon . Later , when Jordan threatened to turn to the USSR for weapons , the U . S . agreed to sell tanks and jet aircraft to Jordan in order to prevent the spread of Soviet influence , and in return , agreed to sell similar systems to Israel . During the early 1960s , the U . S . government sought to establish a regional arms limitation agreement in the Middle East . The initiative lost steam in early 1965 after it was disclosed that the U . S . had been indirectly supplying weapons to Israel via West Germany since 1962 , under the terms of a 1960 secret agreement to supply Israel with $ 80 million worth of armaments . The remainder of the agreement was fulfilled publicly , following its disclosure by the U . S . , with Israel receiving shipments of M48 Patton tanks in 1965 and A - 4E Skyhawk attack aircraft in 1968 . U . S . policy changed markedly after the Six - Day War of 1967 , in response to a perception that many Arab states ( notably Egypt ) had permanently drifted toward the Soviet Union . In 1968 , with strong support from Congress , U . S . President Lyndon B . Johnson approved the sale of F - 4 Phantom II fighters to Israel , establishing the precedent for U . S . support for Israel ' s qualitative military edge over its neighbors . The U . S . , however , would continue to supply arms to Israel ' s neighbors , particularly Lebanon , Jordan and Saudi Arabia , in order to counter Soviet arms sales and influence in the region . During the Yom Kippur War in 1973 , the U . S . mounted a major airlift codenamed Operation Nickel Grass to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel . Over 22 , 000 tons of tank s , artillery , ammunition , and other materiel were delivered to aid the Israeli military in response to a large - scale Soviet resupply effort of the Arab states . The operation was paralleled by a large - scale sealift of some 33 , 000 tons of materiel and the transfer of 40 F - 4 Phantoms , 36 A - 4 Skyhawks and twelve C - 130 Hercules transport aircraft to replace Israeli war losses . Bilateral military cooperation deepened under the Ronald Reagan administration in the 1980s . In 1981 , U . S . Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Israeli Minister of Defense Ariel Sharon signed the Strategic Cooperation Agreement , establishing a framework for continued consultation and cooperation to enhance the national security of both countries . In November 1983 , the two sides formed a Joint Political Military Group , which still meets twice a year , to implement most provisions of the MOU . Joint air and sea military exercises began in June 1984 , and the United States has constructed facilities to stockpile military equipment in Israel . In 1987 , the United States granted Israel the status of major non - NATO ally , enabling it to compete equally with NATO and other US allies for contracts and purchase advanced US weapons systems . Israel became the largest recipient of U . S . military aid in the world ( see military aid below ) . In 1988 , Reagan and Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir signed a memorandum of understanding to formalize and perpetuate the work of the bilateral US - Israel military , security and economic working groups . Israel armed its nuclear weapons and went on full alert during the Persian Gulf war of 1991 . In an effort to prevent Israel from retaliating against Iraqi SS - 1 Scud missile attacks , and thereby breaking up the US - Arab coalition , the US dispatched MIM - 104 Patriot surface - to - air missile batteries to Israel . The effort met with very limited success , with less than 10 % and perhaps as few as none of the Scuds fired against Israel intercepted successfully . Under the Bill Clinton administration in the 1990s , the US government made efforts to bolster the Israeli government ' s military edge by allowing it to purchase $ 700m of the latest U . S . military equipment , including advanced fighters , attack helicopters and the Joint Direct Attack Munition system . A series of major joint military technology development projects was also instituted . Further extensive military cooperation took place under the George W . Bush administration , with Israel placing major orders for F - 16I multirole fighters . During the 2006 Lebanon War , the United States provided a major resupply of jet fuel and precision - guided munition to replenish depleted Israeli stocks . Joint military activity . The United States and Israel cooperate closely in a number of areas of military activity . The U . S . underwrites some of Israel ' s research and development of weapons , and has contributed significant amounts of money to Israeli defense projects such as the Merkava main battle tank and the IAI Lavi ground - attack aircraft . Israel is a participant in the F - 35 Lightning II fighter development program and was offered access to the F - 22 Raptor program , though it turned this down due to the high costs . The U . S . and Israel also cooperate jointly on a number of technology development programs , notably the Arrow missile system and the Tactical High Energy Laser ( also known as Nautilus ) . The two countries carry out regular exercises together , including carrying out biennial exercises codenamed JUNIPER COBRA intended to test interoperability between the two militaries . In addition , the Israeli port of Haifa is the main port of call in the eastern Mediterranean for the United States Sixth Fleet , and Israel provides other logistical and maintenance support for U . S . forces in the region . The two countries also share intelligence and maintain a joint anti - terrorist working group , and in April 2007 their air forces committed to share information about mutually relevant procurements . The United States has stored military equipment in Israel since the early 1990s and may store additional equipment in Israel when withdrawing from Iraq . Currently the only active foreign military installation on Israeli soil is the American AN / TPY - 2 early missile warning radar station on Mt . Keren . In October 2012 , United States and Israel began their biggest joint air and missile defense exercise , known as Austere Challenge 12 , involving around 3 , 500 U . S . troops in the region along with 1 , 000 IDF personnel . Germany and Britain also participated . Controversies . The close military relationship between the U . S . and Israel has engendered a number of controversies over the years . Operation Nickel Grass — the U . S . resupply effort during the Yom Kippur War — led to retaliation by the Arab states , as OAPEC members declared a complete oil embargo on the United States , provoking the 1973 oil crisis . The United States stipulates that U . S . military equipment provided through the FMS program can be used only for internal security or defensive purposes . Consequently , after allegations were made that Israel had used cluster bombs for offensive purposes during the 1982 Lebanon War , the United States suspended shipments of cluster bombs to Israel Similar allegations were made regarding Israeli use of weapons supplied by the U . S . in the course of the 2006 Lebanon War and the Palestinian intifadas American use of its military aid for political pressure on Israel , as well as the economic and strategic restrictions attached to it , has made some Israelis question the value of American military aid . Caroline Glick has argued that Israel ' s interests may be best served by ending the military assistance , and urged her government to initiate a conversation on cutting back on the assistance package . Several Israeli political parties , including National Union , oppose the aid and propose a gradual reduction in dependency on it . Military aid and procurement . Israel is the largest cumulative recipient of military assistance from the United States since World War II , followed by Afghanistan , Iraq , Egypt , and Pakistan . Since 1987 , the U . S . has provided an average of $ 1 . 8 billion annually in the form of Foreign Military Sales ( FMS ) , Foreign Military Financing ( FMF ) and funds to support research and development . A bilateral memorandum of understanding was signed in January 2001 , at the end of the Clinton administration , under which defense aid was increased to $ 2 . 4 billion annually from $ 1 . 8 billion , while the $ 1 . 2 billion of economic aid would be eliminated . This was predicated on the basis of the defense aid being increased by $ 60 million per year until the full amount was reached in 2008 , while the economic aid is decreased by $ 120 million per year until eliminated . In 2007 , the United States increased its military aid to Israel by over 25 % , to an average of $ 3 billion per year for the following ten - year period ( starting at $ 2 . 550 billion for 2008 , growing by $ 150 million each year ) . The package started in October 2008 , when regular economic aid to Israel ' s economy ended . Officials have insisted the aid is not tied , or meant to balance , simultaneous American plans to sell $ 20 billion worth of sophisticated arms to its Arab allies in the region , including Egypt and Saudi Arabia . Former U . S . President George W . Bush assured Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that the U . S . would help keep a " qualitative advantage " to Israel over other nations in the region . The United States is the largest single supplier of military equipment to Israel . According to the U . S . Congressional Research Service , between 1998 - 2005 the U . S . accounted for the vast majority of Israel ' s arms transfer agreements , accounting for $ 9 . 1 billion out of $ 9 . 5 billion worth of agreements . Israel deals directly with U . S . companies for the vast majority of its military purchases from the United States , though it requires permission from the U . S . government for specific purchases . Permission is not always automatic ; for instance , in March 2000 it became known that the Israeli government had been refused permission to purchase BGM - 109 Tomahawk missiles . Israel has the world ' s largest F - 16 fleet outside the United States Air Force . With the delivery of 102 F - 16Is , scheduled through 2008 , the Israeli Air Force will have a total F - 16 inventory of 362 , in addition to 106 F - 15s . Foreign military sales . " Note : This is not a comprehensive listing of U . S . military sales to Israel . " Foreign military financing . " Note : This is not a comprehensive listing of US ESF and military aid to Israel . " U . S . military equipment in Israeli use . This is not a comprehensive list . In addition to indigenously developed military equipment , Israel has made a number of procurements from the United States in recent years , including systems procured directly from U . S . manufacturers and ex - U . S . Forces equipment . The Israel Defense Forces also makes use of U . S . military systems not necessarily procured directly from the U . S . The list below includes U . S . - made weapon systems paid for from funding provided by the USA , by Israel alone , or by a combination of funding from both nations . All data is from Jane ' s " Sentinel Eastern Mediterranean 2007 " unless otherwise stated . Israeli military equipment in U . S . use . There are few statistics available about Israeli arms sales to the USA . The following weapons are known to be in use by the American military .