As the Senate Armed Services Committee begins its closed-door markup of the Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)today and continues deliberations tomorrow, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, announced that it has sent a letter to every member of the committee urging lawmakers to reject any provision that would establish or expand a permanent U.S.-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative, including language substantially similar to Section 224 adopted by the House Armed Services Committee.
CLICK HERE: READ CAIR’S LETTER
In its letter to Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, Ranking Member Jack Reed, and all committee members, CAIR warned that Section 224 would move far beyond traditional security cooperation by creating a framework for expanded integration of U.S. and Israeli defense technology, artificial intelligence, cyber capabilities, autonomous systems, weapons development, and military research programs. CAIR noted that the proposal closely mirrors the previously introduced United States-Israel FUTURES Act and argued that Congress should not use must-pass defense legislation to institutionalize a permanent military integration framework with a foreign government.
“Congress should not deepen America’s military, technological, and strategic integration with a government facing credible allegations of genocide, apartheid, war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, and other serious violations of international law,” said CAIR Government Affairs Department Director Robert S. McCaw. “At a time when Palestinians in Gaza face famine conditions, when reports of torture and sexual abuse of Palestinian prisoners continue to emerge, when American citizens have been killed by Israeli forces and illegal settlers without accountability, and when the region remains destabilized by expanding conflicts, Congress should be demanding accountability – not creating permanent new structures that further entangle the United States in Israel’s military operations and policy decisions.“
McCaw noted on Friday that CAIR condemned the inclusion and advancement of Section 224 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the House Armed Services Committee. CAIR urges the Senate Armed Services Committee to remove Section 224 from the NDAA and calls on members of the House of Representatives to reject the provision should it advance to the House floor.
During the House Armed Services Committee’s consideration of the NDAA, Representative Ro Khanna (D-CA) introduced an amendment to strike Section 224, warning that the provision originated from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would further entrench U.S.-Israeli military integration, and that this provision seeks to institutionalize military cooperation in ways that could endure for decades. The amendment ultimately failed.
The letter argues that proposals modeled on the United States-Israel FUTURES Act would establish mechanisms for expanded collaboration in artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber capabilities, advanced weapons development, battlefield networking, and other emerging technologies. CAIR warned that once established, such integration mechanisms could become difficult for future Congresses to unwind and could further align American military planning and technology policy with the priorities of a foreign government.
CAIR’s letter also raises concerns regarding congressional war powers, U.S. strategic independence, and the risk of future military entanglements. The organization notes that Congress should be reassessing the U.S.-Israel military relationship in light of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and Iran, rather than creating new pathways for deeper military integration.
The letter further highlights reports by international organizations, U.N. agencies, and human rights groups documenting the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, including child prisoners, as well as restrictions on humanitarian aid entering Gaza that have contributed to famine conditions and widespread civilian suffering. It also cites the killings of American citizens, including Shireen Abu Akleh, Omar Assad, Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, Omar Mohammad Rabea, and Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet, as examples of unresolved accountability concerns that Congress should address.
CAIR urged Senate Armed Services Committee members to oppose Section 224 and any substantially similar proposal during the committee’s ongoing NDAA markup process this week and called on senators to reject efforts to embed a permanent U.S.-Israel military integration framework into must-pass defense legislation.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, e-Mitchell@cair.com; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, rmccaw@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, ihooper@cair.com; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com