I
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5117
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.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the United States-Israel Joint Drone Detection Cooperation Act
.
Authority to enter into a cooperative project agreement with Israel to counter unmanned aerial vehicles that threaten the United States or Israel
Findings
Congress finds the following:
On February 10, 2018, Iran launched an unmanned aerial vehicle (commonly known as a drone
) from Syria that penetrated Israeli airspace.
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.
Senior Israeli officials stated that the unmanned aerial vehicle was an advanced piece of technology.
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.
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.
Sense of Congress
It is the sense of Congress that—
joint research and development to counter unmanned aerial vehicles will serve the national security interests of the United States and Israel;
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
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.
Authority To enter into agreement
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.
Applicable requirements
The cooperative project agreement described in paragraph (1)—
shall provide that any activities carried out pursuant to the agreement are subject to—
the applicable requirements described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of section 27(b)(2) of the Arms Export Control Act; and
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
shall establish a framework to negotiate the rights to intellectual property developed under the agreement.