REPS LIEU AND STEFANIK INTRODUCE BILL TO DEVELOP DIRECTED ENERGY DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY WITH ISRAEL
WASHINGTON - Today, Congressman Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) introduced the bipartisan U.S.-Israel Directed Energy Cooperation Act. The legislation authorizes the Department of Defense to carry out bilateral cooperation with Israel to develop directed energy capabilities that address threats to both nations.
Upon introduction, Rep. Lieu said:
"Directed energy technologies like high-powered lasers and microwaves will be game-changers for our national defense, drastically improving our ability to counter ballistic missiles and other major threats. The U.S. should be leveraging all available expertise to bring these tools to bear. I am proud to introduce the U.S.-Israel Directed Energy Cooperation Act with Rep. Stefanik to support bilateral collaboration with our ally Israel, another leader in directed energy research."
Upon introduction, Rep. Stefanik said:
"In order to protect our nation and our interests, we must collaborate with our allies to effectively counter a range of adversarial threats we face around the globe. I am pleased to introduce this bipartisan legislation that increases U.S.-Israel cooperation on directed energy technology to help ensure greater security for the United States and Israel. Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East, and through greater cooperation we can more effectively combat threats facing our two nations."
In 2017, the Department of Defense issued a report to Congress on the merits of U.S.-Israel cooperation on directed energy, concluding that, "The United States should pursue joint collaboration with Israel on directed energy capabilities."
In 2018, Michael Griffin, Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, discussed the future of directed energy weapons at the Directed Energy Summit. According to media coverage, the Undersecretary conveyed that, "America should also take advantage of the brain power that traditional U.S. allies and partners can offer in the development of these technologies so they can be developed together."
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