Congress: 119 · 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 554.
Sponsor: Sullivan, Dan (R-Alaska)
United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025 This bill requires or authorizes certain actions to increase defense-related cooperation between the United States and Israel. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to establish a cooperative program, with the concurrence of Israel's Ministry of Defense (MOD), to develop and deploy advanced technologies for countering unmanned systems that threaten the United States and Israel; establish in Israel an office of the Defense Innovation Unit (an organization that focuses on rapidly fielding and scaling commercial technology across the U.S. military); and seek to engage Israel's MOD on the ascension of Israel into the national technology and industrial base (currently defined in law as the persons and organizations engaged in research, development, production, integration, services, or information technology activities conducted within the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada). The bill authorizes DOD, upon request of Israel's MOD, to jointly conduct research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics to meet defense challenges. Additionally, the bill extends the authority for DOD to (1) carry out RDT&E on a joint basis with Israel to establish anti-tunnel and counter unmanned aerial systems capabilities through 2028, and (2) transfer defense articles intended for use as reserve stocks for Israel through January 1, 2029.
The bill directs the Pentagon to expand military cooperation with Israel, including establishing a joint program to develop technology against drones and unmanned systems, opening a Defense Innovation Unit office in Israel, and potentially including Israel in the U.S. defense industrial base. It also authorizes joint research on artificial intelligence and robotics, extends existing joint work on anti-tunnel and drone systems through 2028, and allows transfer of U.S. defense equipment to Israel's reserve stockpiles through early 2029.
This deepens structural military integration between the U.S. and Israel across multiple technology and industrial domains, potentially locking in long-term defense partnerships and technology-sharing beyond current annual aid votes. The inclusion in the U.S. defense industrial base would formalize Israel's access to sensitive American military research and production networks.