Sens. Ted Budd (R., N.C.) and Joni Ernst (R., Iowa) introduced legislation on Thursday that would significantly boost defense cooperation between signatories of the historic Abraham Accords agreement as the Islamic Republic lashes out at its Arab neighbors, according to a copy of the bill shared with the Washington Free Beacon.
The Abraham Accords Defense Cooperation Act, which the two Senate Armed Services Committee members hope to include in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), instructs the Pentagon to begin implementing defense and intelligence-sharing plans with the countries that have normalized relations with Israel since the treaty was first signed in 2020.
Along with the United States and Israel, the nations will enhance “regional planning and cooperation among the military forces” with a specific focus on “counter-unmanned aircraft system capabilities,” “ground-based air defenses,” and “special operations forces development,” according to the bill.
The defense initiative would authorize funding for the nations to work together on an assortment of “long-term regional projects” that include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance missions, and other tactical operations meant to deter “aggression by Iran and its proxies in the Middle East.”
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The Abraham Accords Defense Cooperation Act, which the two Senate Armed Services Committee members hope to include in this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), instructs the Pentagon to begin implementing defense and intelligence-sharing plans with the countries that have normalized relations with Israel since the treaty was first signed in 2020.
Along with the United States and Israel, the nations will enhance “regional planning and cooperation among the military forces” with a specific focus on “counter-unmanned aircraft system capabilities,” “ground-based air defenses,” and “special operations forces development,” according to the bill.
The defense initiative would authorize funding for the nations to work together on an assortment of “long-term regional projects” that include intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance missions, and other tactical operations meant to deter “aggression by Iran and its proxies in the Middle East.”
Senate Republicans introduce bill boosting defense cooperation between Abraham Accords members
The bill comes at a pivotal juncture for Arab nations in the Middle East, many of which have faced a barrage of attacks from Iran during the ongoing U.S.-Israeli military campaign against the Islamic Republic.