Tel Aviv: The Israel Ministry of Defence (IMOD) and the US Administration have launched formal talks on a new security cooperation framework to replace the existing MOU, which is set to expire in 2028.
Leading the Israeli team, by decision of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, will be IMOD Director General, Maj Gen (Res.) Amir Baram, working in close coordination with the Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter. Counsellor of the Department of State Daniel Holler and US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee will lead the US team.
The two sides held an inaugural formal meeting this week. Further sessions are planned in both countries in the coming weeks. The new framework, reflecting the strategic vision of Israel’s Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, is designed to strengthen the IDF’s qualitative military edge through expanded joint investment in research, development, and co-production, deepen the US-Israel partnership demonstrated during Operation Roaring Lion, and gradually transition from aid to a completely reciprocal partnership.
The joint initiative is based on Section 224 of the House Armed Services Committee’s draft FY2027 National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), titled the “United States–Israel Defence Technology Cooperation Initiative is approved. Israeli sources said that if enacted, it would create the deepest US defence-technology integration with any country by establishing a formal, permanent framework for bilateral R&D, co-production, and systems/data integration.
The proposed change in US policy requires the US Secretary of Défense to appoint a single official to coordinate all US–Israel defence tech cooperation (R&D, testing, industrial cooperation, and technology integration.
According to the sources, the scope of cooperation covers joint research and development, shared weapons production, licensing agreements, joint ventures, and broader industrial cooperation. The technologies mentioned in the draft are AI, autonomous systems, directed energy, cyber, quantum computing, biotechnology, drones, and more.
The network/data integration mentioned in the draft could allow Israeli forces to tap into US military data resources.
The sources added that if the change in policy is approved it would embed Israeli defence firms and technologies more deeply inside the US military-industrial system, potentially creating Washington’s closest defence partnership with any foreign country. The dramatic change in the US policy is still in early-stage of the legal approval process – it must be approved by the House Armed Services Committee, then pass the full House, the Senate, and be signed by President Trump to become law.
Critics argue it would “lock in” US–Israel military ties for generations, making it far harder for future administrations to reduce or redirect military cooperation regardless of public opinion or policy shifts. They say it goes well beyond traditional aid or missile-defence cooperation, effectively weaving Israeli defence interests into the fabric of America’s own military-industrial complex and giving Israel “unprecedented access” to US technology and leverage over US defence priorities.
Supporters of the provision see it as strengthening alliances and advancing shared interests in emerging defence technologies, but opponents fear it reduces US policy’s flexibility and normalises deeper entanglement in Israel’s military operations.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
