Rep. Thomas Massie has introduced an amendment targeting a defense bill provision that he says would combine American military technology and procurement systems with Israel’s armed forces.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., is seeking to strip a provision from the National Defense Authorization Act that he says would begin integrating the United States’ military supply chains and defense technology with Israel.
Speaking Monday on Capitol Hill with MeidasTouch journalist Pablo Manríquez, Massie raised concerns about Section 219 of the defense legislation, a provision previously designated as Section 224.
Massie said the language would “start co-mingling our military supply chains and technology with Israel’s.”
The Kentucky congressman questioned the strategic reasoning behind creating a deeper military-industrial arrangement with a country whose population is approximately 10 million.
“It doesn’t make sense to do that with a country of 10 million people,” Massie said. “I’ve offered an amendment to strip Section 219 — it was called Section 224 — from that bill.”
Massie’s remarks and proposed amendment follow public comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicating that a proposed military and technological partnership between Israel and the United States is already under consideration.
Netanyahu discussed the proposal during an appearance on Fox News, presenting it as a possible transition away from traditional U.S. foreign assistance to Israel and toward joint investment, shared technology and closer military cooperation.
The Israeli leader characterized the plan as a partnership rather than continued reliance on billions of dollars in annual American military aid.
“Will that drawing down of foreign aid from the United States to Israel be compensated by the proposal to have some sort of merger between our Pentagon and your military?” a Fox News host asked.
“Yeah, I’m calling it from aid to partnership,” Netanyahu responded.
Under the proposal described by Netanyahu, direct U.S. assistance would be reduced or eliminated while the two countries invested equally in emerging defense technologies intended to benefit both militaries.
“So, we take away the money that is given to Israel, which is one part, but the other part is we coinvest in equal measures in the new technologies that are needed to give our military and your military the advantage,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister said the arrangement would involve shared investment and equal access to the resulting technologies.
“There are some unbelievable projects,” Netanyahu said. “So, we invest jointly and take the fruits equally. You move from aid to partnership and I think that represents what Israel is.”
Netanyahu also emphasized Israel’s intelligence-sharing relationship with the United States.
“Now, the other thing is that we share with America unbelievable intelligence to save American [lives],” he said.
He argued that combining the technological and military capabilities of the two countries would improve the United States’ position in both commercial competition and armed conflict.
“I think the meshing of our two countries of talent would strengthen America’s competitive position both in the economic marketplace and in the military battlefield in many important ways,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister’s Fox News comments about the proposed partnership came shortly before Massie publicly challenged the related NDAA provision.
Netanyahu had also directly communicated with lawmakers about the plan.
Last month, he sent a letter to Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., thanking the congressman for supporting closer military cooperation between Israel and the United States.
Massie’s amendment would remove the provision he believes would begin formalizing that integration through shared supply chains and defense technologies.
The dispute places two competing approaches before Congress as lawmakers consider the NDAA. Netanyahu and supporters of the proposal describe the arrangement as a transition from foreign aid to equal investment and shared military innovation. Massie argues that combining U.S. defense systems and procurement structures with those of Israel is unnecessary and should not be authorized through the legislation.
Whether Massie’s amendment will receive a vote or be adopted was not stated. The provision remains part of the broader defense authorization debate as lawmakers consider the future of U.S.-Israeli military cooperation.
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