The US House of Representatives is set to consider the bipartisan ‘US-Israel Anti-Killer Drone Act of 2023,’ aimed at boosting cooperation between the two nations in developing effective C-UAS technologies.
The bill, introduced by Representatives Josh Gottheimer (New Jersey 5 and a member of the House Intelligence Committee) and Andrew Garbarino (New York 2), and which enjoys strong support from both sides of the House, seeks to help plug capability gaps affecting the Department of Defense’s (DoD)’s overall C-UAS efforts, by authorising cooperative projects aimed at disrupting the activities of small UAS – particularly of the types often supplied by Iran – that pose increasing threats to both nations.
The bill proposes increasing funding caps for existing U.S.-Israel counter-drone programmes from USD40 million to USD55 million annually.
“Iran’s arsenal of killer drones has only grown in recent years, and attacks across the Middle East have killed and wounded Americans — showing once again why the threat of terrorism remains so pervasive,” said Gottheimer in a press statement. “We continue to see Iran-backed terrorist groups target innocent civilians which is why we must take concrete action to counter their deadly drone capabilities. This legislation is about protecting American and Israeli lives [and] is vitally important to Israel’s security, our security, and America’s interests in the region. It’s key to our fight against terror”.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has developed an arsenal of highly lethal drones, which it is using to target the State of Israel, attack US partners throughout the Middle East, and fuel Russia’s war against Ukraine,” said FDD Action, a non-profit non-partisan organisation that advocates for effective policies to promote US national security and assist in the defence of free nations. “The US-Israel Anti-Killer Drone Act will strengthen collaborative efforts between the United States and Israel to counter these deadly weapons”.
For more information
https://gottheimer.house.gov/posts/release-gottheimer-garbarino-introduce-bipartisan-u-s-israel-anti-killer-drone-act-to-combat-increasing-drone-attacks
(Image: The bill proposes to authorise the combination of ongoing and new US R&D efforts with the continuing development of experience-based Israeli efforts to improve systems such as Rafael’s Drone Dome – Rafael Advanced Defense Systems)
