US-Israel Defense Integration on Horizon as House Keeps Section 219 in NDAAMilitary.com, Jul 22, 2026
The House is preparing to vote on the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with Section 219 (formerly section 224) still embedded in the roughly $1.1 trillion bill.
The House approved the rule governing debate on H.R. 8800 by a 214-211 vote Tuesday, July 21. The vote allowed the chamber to proceed with the NDAA but excluded the amendment from Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) that would have removed Section 219.
Lawmakers will not receive a separate vote on the bipartisan amendment that sought to remove the section, a proposal to expand U.S.-Israel defense technology cooperation that has garnered strong rebukes in certain political and defense circles.
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What Section 219 Would Do
Section 219 would direct the defense secretary to designate a Pentagon “executive agent” to oversee the United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative. That official would coordinate bilateral defense research, development, testing, evaluation and industrial cooperation.
A June 1 letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also appeared to claim credit for the broader policy, describing a shift from U.S. aid toward joint defense cooperation, development, production and investment as “my plan.”
The initiative would cover counter-drone systems, missile and air defense, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, autonomous systems, directed-energy weapons, advanced sensors, cybersecurity, electronic warfare, biotechnology and medical defense.
It also contemplates joint testing, production, procurement, supply-chain coordination, network connections and the incorporation of Israeli or jointly developed technology into U.S. military programs.
The House Armed Services Committee’s explanation states that the executive agent would be responsible for “synchronizing cooperative efforts” between the two countries. The statutory language would require the Pentagon to develop an implementation plan, coordinate with Israeli defense officials and report to congressional defense committees.
More:
https://www.military.com/us-israel-defense-integration-horizon-house-keeps-section-219-ndaa
