Sense of Congress

It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the United States and Israel— (A) are bound by shared democratic values, strategic interests, and deep cultural and technological ties; and (B) can benefit from further joint innovation and rapid technology deployment in facing common and evolving security challenges; (2) Israel is a strategic and capable ally of the United States that advances United States strategic interests, strengthens United States military capabilities, and bolsters the United States economy; (3) as a global leader and innovator in the development of defense technology, Israel is a close foreign defense partner of the United States; (4) on September 14, 2016, the United States and Israel signed a 10-year memorandum of understanding reaffirming the importance of continuing annual United States military assistance to Israel and cooperative missile defense programs in a way that enhances the security and bilateral relationship between the two countries; (5) the United States-Israel defense partnership, through sustained joint research and development, has yielded critical advances in both countries’ national security capabilities in areas such as missile defense, directed energy, counter drone, anti-tunneling, counterterrorism, and emerging technologies; (6) to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge while deterring adversaries and ensuring mutual security, the United States and Israel must expand cooperation in emerging domains; and (7) to grow American technological supremacy, the United States must leverage the unique capabilities offered by each country and more rapidly integrate jointly developed and Israeli-origin defense technologies into United States military systems, programs of record, and the defense industrial base.