House bill calls for US firms to share in Israel's Iron Dome
The committee report for the Defense Authorization bill ties funding to American participation and data sharing.
A little-noticed provision in the Defense Authorization bill that cleared the House on May 22 ties funding for Israel missile defense to increased participation by American firms.
The $600 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) almost doubles next year's funding for Israel's Iron Dome missile defense program, adding $175 million to the $176 million requested in President Barack Obama's fiscal year 2015 budget proposal.
The Armed Services Committee report accompanying the bill, however, conditions the extra funding to assurances that American defense firms get a slice of the action and that the US government gets technical know-how from the program, which has cost American taxpayers $720 million since 2011.
"Given the significant US taxpayer investment in this system, the committee believes that coproduction of parts and components should be done in a manner that will maximize US industry participation in interceptor and battery deliveries for Israel's defense needs," the report states. The report goes on to state that the Armed Services Committee "expects" the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency to withhold the extra funding "until receipt and acceptance by the MDA of sufficiently detailed cost and schedule justification from the Government of Israel."
