A provision buried within a major US defence bill could significantly deepen military and technological integration between the US and Israel , prompting criticism from activists and former officials who say it would make future efforts to reduce military ties between the two countries far more difficult.
The proposal, known as the "United States-Israel Defence Technology Cooperation Initiative", appears as Section 224 of the House Armed Services Committee's draft version of the fiscal year 2027 National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual bill that sets US military policy and spending priorities.
The measure remains at an early stage and must pass both chambers of Congress before becoming law. The House Armed Services Committee is expected to begin considering the legislation in early June.
According to committee documents, Section 224 would require the US defence secretary to appoint an "executive agent" responsible for coordinating defence technology cooperation between the US and Israel, including research, development, testing, industrial cooperation and technology integration.
The proposal goes far beyond existing military aid and missile defence cooperation, potentially embedding Israeli defence technologies and companies more deeply within the US military-industrial system.
Josh Paul, a former US State Department official who resigned over the Biden administration's support for Israel's war on Gaza and later founded the advocacy group A New Policy, told Al Jazeera that the measure was designed to make future policy shifts towards Israel far harder.
"What Congress is trying to do now is find different ways of entrenching the relationship so deep in America's own defence industrial base that it's impossible to root it out," Paul said.
In a video posted on social media on Friday, Paul warned that the proposal would give Israel "unprecedented access" to American military technology and integrate Israeli defence systems into critical US military supply chains.
"A new section of law in the National Defense Authorization Act would give Israel unprecedented access to American technology and would force the United States military to integrate Israeli defence technologies into our own critical military supply chain, giving Israel incredible leverage over America's own defence priorities," he said.
Pro-Israel advocates have framed it as a way to expand cooperation between Israel and the US in areas such as artificial intelligence, cyber warfare, drones, missile defence and other emerging technologies.
The US and Israel already jointly develop systems including Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow missile defence platforms.
However, analysts at Responsible Statecraft have argued that Section 224 could represent a broader shift in the nature of the US-Israel relationship, moving it away from one primarily based on military aid towards deeper industrial and technological integration.
The online publication said the measure lays the groundwork for joint weapons production, licensing agreements, research partnerships and expanded cooperation across sectors including AI, autonomous systems, cyber technology, quantum computing and biotechnology.
There are also concerns that integrating defence production and technology development could make future attempts by US administrations to restrict military cooperation with Israel more politically and institutionally difficult.
The proposal comes amid continuing debate in Washington over US military support for Israel following the genocidal Gaza war and US-Israel war on Iran.
Public polling has suggested growing opposition among many Americans to unconditional military assistance for Israel, particularly among Democrats and younger voters.
The legislation was introduced by House Armed Services Committee chairman Mike Rogers, a Republican, and the committee's senior Democrat Adam Smith, giving it backing from both major parties despite increasingly visible divisions within Congress over US policy towards Israel.