Congress: 118 · 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 5059.
Sponsor: Ernst, Joni (R-Iowa)
The bill requires the Defense Department to create and run a military exchange program for officers from U.S. allied countries in the Middle East to meet in person at least quarterly. Participants from various ranks and expertise areas—including air defense, cyber security, counterterrorism, and military law—would share knowledge on defense planning, doctrine, operations, and regional cooperation. The Defense Secretary must designate a coordinator, report annually to Congress on the program's activities and effectiveness for six years, and notify Congress if quarterly meetings don't happen.
This formalizes military-to-military integration among Abraham Accords signatories (and potentially other U.S. Middle East partners) without naming Israel explicitly, deepening operational coordination on defense matters. The program locks in sustained, structured military cooperation at multiple levels and signals congressional support for cementing regional alignment on security issues.