U.S. Lawmakers Push Section 224 To Create Joint U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Partnership

U.S. lawmakers are moving to reshape U.S.-Israel military cooperation through a little-known provision labeled Section 224 in the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act, including a proposal titled the "United States–Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative."

The House version incorporates Section 224, and Responsible Statecraft reported that it states Washington has provided Israel with approximately $200 billion in military assistance since 1948 when adjusted for inflation.

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The Jewish Link described Section 224 as a “once-in-a-generation realignment” that would transition the relationship into a joint research, development and technology partnership rather than traditional foreign military financing.

Jewish Insider reported that the Senate Armed Services Committee’s draft of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act includes a provision based on the FUTURES Act establishing a U.S.-Israel Defense Cooperation Initiative, and said a similar House provision drew controversy in anti-Israel circles.

Backlash in Congress centers on claims that Section 224 would merge the U.S. and Israeli militaries or undermine U.S. sovereignty, which Jewish Insider said critics made “falsely” and that multiple House members vowed to try to strip from the bill.

A congressional official told Jewish Insider that the idea the legislation would integrate the U.S. and Israeli militaries is a “misconception” and a “fallacy,” while the precise text of the Senate bill was said to be unavailable for a few days after being amended in a closed session.

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In the House Armed Services Committee, The Forward said the measure was advanced by Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash., as part of the committee’s annual defense bill.

The Forward also quoted Michael O’Hanlon of the Brookings Institution saying, “My overall sense is that this would move the US-Israel relationship in the direction of AUKUS,” and described critics’ worry that lawmakers could end up dealing with defense projects already built into Pentagon programs and contracts.

The legislation is framed as a shift from aid toward a broader defense technology and industrial partnership, with Euronews saying Section 224 requires the U.S. Secretary of Defense to appoint an official to coordinate defense technology cooperation between the two countries.

Euronews said the provision extends beyond research and development, testing, evaluation, and integration to include bilateral industrial cooperation and broad cooperation in areas including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, autonomous systems, directed energy, cybersecurity, biotechnology, and other areas of advanced warfare.

In parallel, The Forward said the fight over Section 224 is tied to what comes after the current aid agreement with Israel expires in 2028, and it described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s stated desire to “taper off” U.S. aid over the next decade.

The Forward reported that supporters argue deeper cooperation could lay groundwork for a future relationship based on mutual benefits, while critics warned that if the U.S. and Israel move away from a military-aid relationship, parts of the relationship could become harder to scrutinize or limit.