Members Of Congress Want The U.S. Army To Use Israel’s Iron Dome
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Forty Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives urged appropriators to consider purchasing Iron Dome, the short-range missile defense system in Israel, for U.S. Army use.
The request is in a letter to the top Republican and Democrat on the defense subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee urging inclusion of $500 million for Israeli missile defense in the 2019 defense appropriations bill. Adoption of Iron Dome by the U.S. Army would mean increasing the support for sustaining the missile defense system, developed by two Israeli companies, which Israel regards as critical in protecting its communities near its southern border with the Gaza Strip and and its northern border with Lebanon.
“Adoption by the Army of Iron Dome could provide an important near-term capability to U.S. forces as well as a surge production capacity if we or Israel required the system in a time of crisis,” said the letter initiated by Reps. Grace Meng, D-N.Y. and Pete Roskam, R-Ill. The letter was sent April 11 and released to the media by the offices of Meng and Roskam on April 20.
The letter said Iron Dome has a utility as U.S. forces worldwide face an increasingly unstable threat environment.
The $500 million for missile defense is already guaranteed to Israel under a $3.8 billion per year defense assistance package signed toward the end of the Obama administration, but the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is seeking formal congressional backing for the aid as a protective measure against any president reneging on the deal.
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
