US House passes $1.15tn defence bill embedding Israel’s war machine inside America

The US House of Representatives has passed a $1.15 trillion defence policy bill which would embed military support for Israel more deeply within Pentagon research, weapons procurement, technology sharing and the American defence-industrial base.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2027 fiscal year passed yesterday by 216 votes to 212. Six Democrats joined 209 Republicans and one independent in supporting the legislation, while seven Republicans voted against it alongside 205 Democrats. Three representatives did not vote. 

At the centre of the controversy is section 219, titled the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative”.

The provision requires the US secretary of defence to appoint an executive agent responsible for synchronising, expanding and accelerating military technology cooperation between the US and Israel.

The initiative covers counter-drone systems, subterranean warfare, missile and air defence, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, quantum technology, directed energy, cyber warfare, electronic warfare, biotechnology, network integration, data fusion, military logistics and defence manufacturing.

It would also establish joint training exercises and information-sharing mechanisms intended to prepare American and Israeli forces to deploy jointly developed military technology. 

Critics have warned that the provision will shift US backing for Israel away from highly visible $3.3 billion annual aid packages, which lawmakers can debate, condition or cut, and into the less transparent machinery of Pentagon procurement, technology programmes, arms contracts and private defence-industry partnerships.

Support for Israel could become dispersed across supply chains, research programmes, production facilities, classified systems and jobs in individual congressional districts, making it more difficult for lawmakers or future administrations to identify and restrict.

READ: US Congress moves to fuse Israel’s war machine into American military system⁠

The restructuring of US military support is seen as an attempt to protect the US-Israel military relationship from a collapse in public support for the apartheid state and growing congressional opposition to unconditional military aid.

Instead of repeatedly asking Congress to approve politically contentious grants to Israel, Washington could provide support through joint weapons development, co-production agreements, technology licensing, Pentagon acquisition programmes and contracts involving American and Israeli arms manufacturers.

The timing is especially significant. Just one week before the NDAA vote, 103 House Democrats supported an unsuccessful amendment seeking to end $3.3 billion in annual US military assistance to Israel.

Section 219 also resembles a proposal publicly backed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to replace direct US financial assistance with a broader framework of joint military development, co-production and investment.

In a letter released in June, Netanyahu described the transition as “my plan”. He supported drawing down direct American military assistance and replacing it with joint cooperation in missile defence, artificial intelligence, unmanned systems, cybersecurity and next-generation weapons platforms.