Peters Announces Bipartisan Legislation to Bolster U.S.-Israel Defense Collaboration

WASHINGTON, DC –U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced bipartisan legislation to bolster collaboration between the United States and Israel on emerging technologies that will guide the future of warfare to strengthen our nations’ preparedness and national security.

Peters’ U.S.-Israel Future of Warfare Act – which he introduced with U.S. Senators Deb Fischer (R-NE), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Ted Budd (R-NC) – would increase U.S. defense collaboration with Israel in areas of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, drone and cybersecurity capabilities, directed energy, and automation, to ensure both nations’ warfare capabilities can meet the challenges of the future. The bill would create the U.S.-Israel Future of Warfare Research and Development Fund, authorized at $50 million annually through Fiscal Year 2028, to enable the U.S. and Israel to scale up cooperation efforts in these fields.

“The U.S. and Israel are producing some of the world’s most innovative technologies, including the next generation solutions we need to deter national security threats,” said Senator Peters, Chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “This bipartisan legislation would bolster collaboration between our two countries on emerging defense capabilities to make sure we can more effectively counter evolving threats.”

In recent years, rogue state and non-state actors have increasingly used new and emerging technologies, such as drone and cybersecurity capabilities, to challenge the U.S. and Israel. A strong U.S.-Israel strategic relationship and enhanced bilateral cooperation in defense, homeland security, cybersecurity, space, and other key areas is critical to ensuring both countries can confront emerging defense challenges both today and in the future.

The U.S.-Israel Future of Warfare Act builds on previous efforts Peters led to bolster U.S.-Israel defense collaboration and partnership. In May 2020, Peters introduced bipartisan legislation that would enhance defense cooperation between the United States and Israel by requiring the Department of Defense (DoD) to establish a working group with their counterparts in the Israeli government to collaborate on the research and development of technologies used for national defense. In December 2020, a Peters-led amendment – based on this bipartisan bill – was enacted as part of the annual national defense legislation. In the most recent national defense legislation signed into law in December 2022, Peters led a provision to reauthorize cooperation between the U.S. and Israel on issues with counter-unmanned aerial systems, commonly known as drones, building on Peters’ past effort to authorize the program. In this law, Peters also included a provision to clarify the requirements and expectations from Congress for the U.S. Israel Operations Technology Working Group that he formed in 2020. Peters additionally helped lead an amendment included in the national defense bill signed into law in 2015 that promotes joint research and development efforts with Israel on anti-tunneling defense to better detect and destroy tunnels. In the United States, drug and human trafficking groups have built tunnels under the southern border for illegal activity which poses a threat to homeland security.

###