US Congress Moves to Tighten Military Ties with Israel

US lawmakers are quietly pushing a proposal that could deepen military ties between the United States and Israel in unprecedented ways, as American public support for Israel becomes increasingly divided.

Section 224 of the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), released this week, is titled the “US-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative.” The NDAA is an annual law passed by Congress to set military policy and authorize defense spending.

Analysts say if passed, the proposal would limit political oversight of the defense relationship. It could mark a significant shift from a model focused on military aid to deeper institutional integration between the two countries' defense industries and militaries.

What the Proposal Entails

Under Section 224, the US Secretary of Defense would be required to designate an official responsible for coordinating military cooperation between the two countries. This official would be tasked with “synchronizing cooperative efforts between the United States and Israel,” including “research, development, testing, evaluation, integration, and bilateral defense industrial cooperation.”

The proposal targets cooperation across multiple military technology areas, prioritizing counter-unmanned aerial systems (air, sea, and ground-based), counter-tunnel and underground threats, as well as missile and air defense technologies. It also seeks to enhance collaboration on artificial intelligence, quantum machine learning and autonomous systems, directed energy and advanced sensors, cyber defense, electronic warfare, and biotechnology and medicine.

The inclusion of “network integration” and “data fusion” draws particular attention, as it suggests significantly tighter integration of military information systems between the two nations. Mark Hilborne, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies, King’s College London, commented: “This indicates a much closer integration—not just providing and sharing technology, but developing them together. It points to a more institutionalized relationship that could survive different US administrations.”

Why It Is Controversial

The proposal comes amid increasingly heated debate in the US over military support for Israel, especially as Israel’s war in Gaza continues. Recent polls show growing American skepticism toward unconditional support for Israel. A New York Times poll in May found that only 30% of respondents thought Trump was right to order the strike on Iran, while 64% called it a wrong decision.

Another poll by the Institute for Global Affairs last week found that just 16% of Americans support continuing arms transfers to Israel without additional conditions. Opposition has also emerged from within the Republican Party. Former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene criticized the proposal on social media: “This is total submission to a foreign government.” Representative Thomas Massie, who opposes military aid to Israel, has pledged to introduce an amendment to remove the provision from the NDAA.

Practical Implications

Critics warn the proposal could create a form of institutional “lock-in,” making both countries interdependent in military development and procurement. This integration could shift key aspects of the US-Israel relationship away from public aid votes or commercial contracts and into the less transparent world of defense procurement deals and state-level industrial partnerships.

Mr. Hilborne argued the initiative could have a direct impact on Palestinians. “If joint R&D produces more effective technology, systems related to surveillance, autonomous vehicles, AI and targeting, and counter-drone or anti-missile technologies will be improved, enhancing the capacity of Israeli forces operating in Gaza or the West Bank.”

Deeper integration could also reduce Washington’s ability to pressure Israel. “Israel may become more emboldened in its policies,” Hilborne said. The proposal could also have effects beyond the US-Israel relationship. Imad Salamey, a professor of international relations at Lebanese American University, noted: “The proposed US-Israel defense integration could be seen as the next phase of the Abraham Accords: moving from normalization to a US-backed regional security regime with Israel as the dominant military and technological hub.”

Whether Section 224 survives the legislative process remains uncertain. But its presence in the NDAA suggests that some politicians, many backed by the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, are trying to bind the two countries’ militaries closer together, creating long-term industrial links that future administrations would find difficult to reverse.