Roskam, Meng call for support of U.S.-Israel defense cooperation programs

U.S. Reps. Peter Roskam (R-IL) and Grace Meng (D-NY) issued a bipartisan call on Thursday for House support of continued funding for U.S.-Israel defense cooperation programs.

In a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, the legislators called for support of critical cooperative programs in fiscal year 2017.

“U.S.-Israel defense cooperation enhances Israel’s defense capability and ensures our armed forces have access to cutting edge, battle-proven missile defense technology,” Roskam, the co-chairman of the GOP Israel Caucus, said. “Iron Dome’s near 90 percent success during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 once again proved its value. The product of an American-Israeli partnership saves lives, prevents conflict escalation, and advances U.S. objectives by promoting regional stability. We must also continue to work with Israel on Arrow-3 and David’s Sling in order to confront increasingly sophisticated missile threats from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.”

Roskam and Meng also called for support of the Arrow System Improvement Program (ASIP) to counter long-range ballistic missiles and continued deployment of the U.S.-Israel anti-tunneling defense program.

“Continued defense cooperation with Israel is critical,” Meng, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “Israel must have the ability to defend itself, and maintaining funding for these programs is essential for the Jewish state to combat attacks and threats from a wide array of hostile adversaries. I thank the subcommittee on defense for its past investments in these programs, and I respectfully urge the panel to continue doing so.”