Bipartisan lawmakers introduce bill to upgrade Israeli-US military cooperation

• Published date: 23 September 2021
• Author: OMRI NAHMIAS
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

House Representatives Joe Wilson (R-South Carolina), Brad Schneider (D-Illinois) and Stephanie Murphy (D-Florida) spearheaded the bill, which was submitted as an amendment for inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act.

If signed into law, it would require the creation of a United States-Israel Operations-Technology Working Group.

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"Developed in collaboration with Israel, this group would address methods and practices to best share intelligence-informed, military capability requirements, and provide a stand-alone forum designed to further strengthen our efforts to meet and overcome current and future threats," the group said in a statement.

"The US-Israel alliance is crucial for both of our countries. It is long-standing and we face common threats that are evolving and changing," Schneider told The Jerusalem Post.

"We need to make sure that we're always one step ahead of those who seek to do us harm."

He said creating additional capabilities is something that would benefit both the US and Israel.

"Creating a formal structure like this is something that will bring hopefully greater opportunities to cooperate and coordinate."

The bill was introduced the same day when a group of progressive lawmakers blocked a continuing resolution that would have replenished Israel's Iron Dome missile-defense system.

"It's still a fringe group, but when you have a little margin at the...