H.R. 1229 — United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the “United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025.”

This section states the sense of Congress that the United States and Israel are bound by historic and cultural ties and mutual interests, face common threats that are evolving in scope, scale, and lethality, and should expand their defense partnership to develop new technologies and leverage each country’s defense industrial base. It further states that this Act advances that goal by establishing several joint initiatives.

This section establishes the United States-Israel Counter-Unmanned Systems Program, to be administered by the Secretary of Defense with the concurrence of Israel’s Minister of Defense, to enhance bilateral cooperation on developing, testing, evaluating, deploying, and integrating technologies to counter unmanned systems threats. As background, unmanned systems include drones and other remotely operated or autonomous platforms used by state and nonstate actors, and the program is intended to support mutual defense by combining U.S. and Israeli expertise. The program must include: (1) collaborative research involving government, private sector, and academic institutions in both countries, while protecting sensitive technology and national security interests; (2) joint training exercises and information-sharing mechanisms to improve operational readiness; (3) establishment of a Department of Defense program office to oversee execution and coordination; and (4) procurement and deployment of counter-unmanned systems. This section also requires the Secretary of Defense to submit an annual report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, beginning not later than 1 year after enactment and continuing annually thereafter. Each report must describe program activities from the preceding year, assess progress in addressing unmanned systems threats and requirements, evaluate coordination with other U.S. programs, including the United States-Israel Operations-Technology Working Group and the Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems program run by the Irregular Warfare Technical Support Directorate, and provide recommendations for future activities and funding. Reports must be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. This section authorizes $150 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the program. It also provides that nothing in the section may be construed to alter or supersede existing U.S.-Israel agreements or obligations in effect on the date of enactment.

This section extends the United States-Israel anti-tunnel cooperation program through December 31, 2028 (from December 31, 2026) and increases the authorized amount for the program to $80 million (from $50 million). (Thus, the Department of Defense may continue supporting cooperative efforts with Israel to detect, defeat, and neutralize cross-border tunnels for 2 additional years.)

This section increases the authorized amount for United States-Israel cooperation to counter unmanned aerial systems to $75 million (from $55 million) and extends the program’s sunset date to December 31, 2028 (from December 31, 2026). (Thus, the Department of Defense may continue funding cooperative efforts with Israel to develop and field counter-unmanned aerial systems capabilities for 2 additional years.)

This section establishes a United States-Israel emerging defense technology capabilities program to support joint research, development, test, and evaluation in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, robotics, quantum, and automation. As background, the program is intended to advance defense collaboration on technologies that could improve the warfare capabilities of both countries in response to emerging defense challenges. This section authorizes the Secretary of Defense, upon request by Israel’s Ministry of Defense and in consultation with the Secretary of State and the Director of National Intelligence, to carry out the program jointly with Israel, subject to protections for sensitive information and U.S. and Israeli national security interests. It also bars any activity under the program until the Secretary of Defense submits a report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees that includes: (1) a memorandum of agreement on sharing research and development costs, and supporting documents; and (2) a certification that the agreement requires cost sharing, including in-kind support, establishes a framework for negotiating intellectual property rights, and requires the U.S. Government to receive semiannual reports on any Israeli expenditures, including what funds were used for, when they were spent, and which entities spent them. This section directs the Secretary of Defense to designate the Irregular Warfare Technology Support Directorate as the Department of Defense lead agency for the program, but not earlier than the date the required report is submitted. It also requires the Secretary of Defense to submit semiannual reports to the appropriate congressional committees containing the most recent semiannual report provided by the Government of Israel under the agreement. This section authorizes $50 million for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2030 to carry out the program.

This section extends the authority to acquire and retain defense articles for the War Reserves Stockpile Program through after January 1, 2029 (from after January 1, 2027). (Thus, the Department of Defense may continue to maintain stockpiled military equipment and supplies for allied and contingency purposes for 2 additional years.)

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to establish, not later than 180 days after enactment, a Defense Innovation Unit office in Israel to work with Israel’s Minister of Defense and private-sector representatives on collaborative efforts to counter Iran’s development of dual-use defense technologies and to leverage U.S. and Israeli resources and innovation activities for the national security of both countries.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense, not later than 90 days after enactment, to seek to engage Israel’s Minister of Defense in discussions about Israel’s accession into the national technology and industrial base under 10 U.S.C. § 4801. As background, the national technology and industrial base includes persons and organizations engaged in research, development, production, integration, services, or information technology activities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The section also requires that any such activity protect sensitive information and the national security interests of the United States and Israel.

This section directs the Secretary of Defense to assess integrated air and missile defense in the United States Central Command region and to report the findings to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees within 180 days after enactment. The assessment must address: (1) the current strength of regional integrated air and missile defense; (2) how to strengthen it; and (3) what would be required to expand or deepen cooperation among the United States, Israel, and other regional partners to achieve full operational capability, including any needed funding and new legal authorities. In carrying out the assessment, the Secretary must consider the strategy required by section 1658(b) of the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (P.L. 117-263), current regional cooperation on integrated air and missile defense, and lessons learned from Iran’s April 13, 2024, and October 1, 2024, airstrikes against Israel. The report must be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.