United States-Israel Joint Drone Detection Cooperation Act

United States-Israel Joint Drone Detection Cooperation Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) joint research and development to counter unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e., drones) will serve the national security interests of the United States and Israel, (2) Israel faces urgent and emerging threats from unmanned aerial vehicles, and (3) the United States and Israel should continue to work together to defend against all threats to their safety and national interests.

The President may enter into a cooperative project agreement with Israel to carry out research and development and joint production of defense articles and services to detect, track, and destroy unmanned aerial vehicles.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5117 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5117

    To authorize the President to enter into a cooperative project 
agreement with Israel to counter unmanned aerial vehicles that threaten 
                      the United States or Israel.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 27, 2018

  Mr. Crist (for himself and Mr. Johnson of Louisiana) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To authorize the President to enter into a cooperative project 
agreement with Israel to counter unmanned aerial vehicles that threaten 
                      the United States or Israel.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``United States-Israel Joint Drone 
Detection Cooperation Act''.

SEC. 2. AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO A COOPERATIVE PROJECT AGREEMENT WITH 
              ISRAEL TO COUNTER UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES THAT THREATEN 
              THE UNITED STATES OR ISRAEL.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) On February 10, 2018, Iran launched an unmanned aerial 
        vehicle (commonly known as a ``drone'') from Syria that 
        penetrated Israeli airspace.
            (2) Israeli officials noted that the unmanned aerial 
        vehicle was in Israeli airspace for a minute and a half before 
        being shot down by the Israeli air force.
            (3) Senior Israeli officials stated that the unmanned 
        aerial vehicle was an advanced piece of technology.
            (4) It remains unclear whether the unmanned aerial vehicle 
        was armed. Nonetheless, the launch, and sophistication of the 
        unmanned aerial vehicle, highlight the threat Israel faces from 
        unmanned aerial vehicles from Iranian forces active in Syria 
        and from Hezbollah in Lebanon.
            (5) The United States likewise faces the threat of unmanned 
        aerial vehicles along the United States border and in areas of 
        active hostilities, including unmanned aerial vehicles of the 
        Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria and 
        unmanned aerial vehicles manufactured of al-Qaeda in 
        Afghanistan.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) joint research and development to counter unmanned 
        aerial vehicles will serve the national security interests of 
        the United States and Israel;
            (2) Israel faces urgent and emerging threats from unmanned 
        aerial vehicles and other unmanned aerial vehicles, launched 
        from Lebanon by Hezbollah, from Syria by forces of Iran's 
        Revolutionary Guard Corps, or from others seeking to attack 
        Israel; and
            (3) the United States and Israel should continue to work 
        together to defend against all threats to the safety, security, 
        and national interests of both countries.
    (c) Authority To Enter Into Agreement.--
            (1) In general.--The President is authorized to enter into 
        a cooperative project agreement with Israel under the authority 
        of section 27 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2767) 
        to carry out research on and development, testing, evaluation, 
        and joint production (including follow-on support) of defense 
        articles and defense services to detect, track, and destroy 
        unmanned aerial vehicles that threaten the United States or 
        Israel.
            (2) Applicable requirements.--The cooperative project 
        agreement described in paragraph (1)--
                    (A) shall provide that any activities carried out 
                pursuant to the agreement are subject to--
                            (i) the applicable requirements described 
                        in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of section 
                        27(b)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act; and
                            (ii) any other applicable requirements of 
                        the Arms Export Control Act with respect to the 
                        use, transfers, and security of such defense 
                        articles and defense services under that Act; 
                        and
                    (B) shall establish a framework to negotiate the 
                rights to intellectual property developed under the 
                agreement.
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