Congress: 117 · Status: active · Israel/Palestine classification: pro-Israel
Data (JSON) — machine-readable record of this bill (identifiers, sponsor, classification, actions, and the member-by-member vote breakdown).
Official record on Congress.gov — full text, actions, and cosponsor history for S 4366.
Sponsor: Ernst, Joni (R-Iowa)
Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses Act of 2022 or the DEFEND Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Defense to seek to cooperate with Middle East allies and partners (i.e., countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the region as appropriate) to identify and develop an approach for such allies and partners to implement an integrated air and missile defense capability to protect against attacks from Iran and groups linked to Iran.
The Department of Defense must work with Middle East allies—including Israel, Gulf states, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt—to develop a shared air and missile defense system against Iranian attacks and Iran-linked groups.
This deepens US military coordination with Israel and other regional partners on defense infrastructure, potentially expanding joint capabilities and interoperability that go beyond existing agreements.