Lawmakers Seek to Remove Israel Military Integration Provision From Defense Bill

Two lawmakers in the United States Congress are pushing to repeal a section in an upcoming defence budget that would deepen integration between the U.S. and Israeli militaries. Their effort comes amid outcry against the latest draft of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, a bill that sets the budget for the U.S. military.

The bill includes a provision, dubbed Section 224, that would boost ties between the two militaries through the appointment of an “executive agent” to oversee joint technological development and coordination. Section 224 “would require the Secretary of Defense to designate an executive agent responsible for synchronising cooperative efforts between the United States and Israel,” the budget bill reads.

The executive agent would be in charge of overseeing a range of joint initiatives, “including bilateral defence technology research, development, testing, evaluation, integration, and industrial cooperation”.

Sunday, Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna said he would use his seat on the House Armed Services Committee to put forward an amendment to remove Section 224 from the bill. His Republican colleague Thomas Massie also warned that, if the bill is approved by the committee, he would work to oppose it on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Massie framed the issue as a question of U.S. independence from foreign governments. “We are a sovereign country,” Massie wrote on the social media platform X. Khanna responded to Massie’s post, pledging to stand by the Kentucky Republican in opposing Section 224.

This year’s $1.15 trillion NDAA contains several other proposals to deepen U.S. support for Israel. ” It includes mandating cooperation with the Israeli military on anti-tunnel and anti-drone capabilities.