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See Israel-United States relations for a general overview of bilateral relations between the two countries.

Israel-United States military relations are extremely close, representing both shared security interests in the unstable Middle East and the power of an extremely strong lobby in the United States' domestic political and economic establishment. Israel is the largest recipient of United States overseas assistance. It is a major purchaser and user of US military equipment, is involved in the joint development of military technology and regularly engages in joint military exercises involving United States and other friendly forces.

Overview

During the first twenty years of Israel's existence, the United States pursued a policy of ensuring that no single state would have a decisive military advantage in the Middle East. Israel's main military patron was France, which supported Israel by providing it with advanced military equipment and technology, such as the Dassault Mystère fighter-bomber aircraft. The U.S. did sell MIM-23 Hawk anti-aircraft missiles to Israel in 1962, but also sold the same weapons to Egypt and Jordan.

US policy changed after the Six-Day War of 1967 in response to a perception that many Arab states (notably Egypt) had permanently drifted toward the Soviet Union. In 1968, with strong support from Congress, Johnson approved the sale of F-4 Phantom II fighters to Israel, establishing the precedent for U.S. support for Israel's qualitative military edge over its neighbors. The U.S., however, would continue to supply arms to Israel's neighbors, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, to counter Soviet arms sales in the region.

During the Yom Kippur War, the U.S. mounted a major airlift - Operation Nickel Grass - to deliver weapons and supplies to Israel. Over 22,000 tons of tanks, artillery, ammunition, and other materiel were delivered to aid the Israeli war effort in response to a large-scale Soviet resupply effort of the Arab states.

Bilateral military cooperation deepened under the Ronald Reagan administration in the 1980s. In 1981, U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger and Israeli Minister of Defense Ariel Sharon signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), establishing a framework for continued consultation and cooperation to enhance the national security of both countries. In November 1983, the two sides formed a Joint Political Military Group, which meets twice a year, to implement most provisions of the MOU. Joint air and sea military exercises began in June of 1984, and the United States has constructed facilities to stockpile military equipment in Israel.

In 1987, the United States granted Israel the status of major non-NATO ally, enabling it to compete equally with NATO and other U.S. allies for contracts and purchase advanced U.S. weapons systems. Israel became the largest recipient of U.S. military aid in the world (see military aid below).

The two countries cooperated defensively against Iraq during the Persian Gulf war of 1991, with the U.S. despatching MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries to Israel to defend against Iraqi SS-1 Scud missiles. The effort met with mixed success, with only 40% of Scuds fired against Israel intercepted successfully.

Under the Bill Clinton administration in the 1990s, the U.S. government made efforts to bolster the Israeli government's military edge by allowing it to purchase $700m of the latest U.S. military equipment, including advanced fighters and attack helicopters. A series of major joint military technology development projects was also instituted.

Further extensive military cooperation took place under the George W. Bush administration, with major orders being placed for F-16I multirole fighters. During the 2006 Lebanon War, the United States provided a major resupply of jet fuel and precision-guided munition to replenish depleted Israeli stocks.

Military aid

Israel is the world's largest recipient of U.S. overseas assistance, at around $3 billion per annum. It has benefited more than any other country from U.S. military assistance, both in terms of grant aid and military sales on a concessional basis. Since 1987, the U.S. has provided an average of $1.8 billion annually in the form of Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and funds to support research and development.

A bilateral memorandum of understanding was signed in January 2001, at the end of the Clinton administration, under which defense aid would be increased to $2.4 billion annually. This was programmed on the basis of the figure being increased by $60 million per year until the full amount was reached in 2008.

Foreign Military Sales

Note: This is not a comprehensive listing of U.S. military sales to Israel.

• FMS - Foreign Military Sales
• DCS - Direct Commercial Sales

Source: "Facts Book: Department of Defense, Security Assistance Agency," September 30, 2005.

Foreign Military Financing

Note: This is not a comprehensive listing of US ESF and military aid to Israel.

• FMF - Foreign Military Financing (direct military aid)
• ESF - Economic Support Fund (open-ended monetary assistance that can be used to offset military spending and arms purchases
• Supplementals are special one-time grants meant as a complement to already allocated aid
• NADR-ATA - Nonproliferation, Anti-Terrorism, Demining & Related Programs

Source: "Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations," Fiscal Years 2001-2007.

Procurement

The United States is the largest single supplier of military equipment to Israel. According to the U.S. Congressional Research Service, between 1998-2005 the U.S. accounted for the vast majority of Israel's arms transfer agreements, accounting for $9.1 billion out of $9.5 billion worth of agreements.

Israel deals directly with U.S. companies for the vast majority of its military purchases from the United States, though it requires permission from the U.S. government for specific purchases. Permission is not always automatic; for instance, in March 2000 it became known that the Israeli government had been refused permission to purchase BGM-109 Tomahawk missiles.

The U.S. underwrites Israel's research and development of weapons, contributing significant amounts of money to Israeli defense projects such as the Merkava main battle tank and the IAI Lavi ground-attack aircraft. Israel is a participant in the F-35 Lightning II fighter development program and was offered access to the F-22 Raptor program, though it turned this down due to the high costs.

The U.S. and Israel also cooperate jointly on a number of technology development programs, notably the Arrow missile system and the Tactical High Energy Laser (also known as Nautilus).

Significant major procurements

Israel has made a number of significant major procurements from the United States in recent years. These include:

Joint military activity

The United States and Israel cooperate closely in a number of areas of military activity. The two countries carry out regular exercises together, including carrying out biennial exercises codenamed JUNIPER COBRA intended to test interoperability. In addition, the Israeli port of Haifa is the main port of call in the eastern Mediterranean for the United States Sixth Fleet and Israeli provides other logistical and maintenance support for U.S. forces in the region. The two countries also share intelligence and maintain a joint anti-terrorist working group.

Controversies

The close military relationship between the U.S. and Israel has engendered a number of controversies over the years. Operation Nickel Grass - the U.S. resupply effort during the Yom Kippur War - was hugely controversial. The Arab states declared a complete oil embargo on the United States, causing oil prices to skyrocket, fuel becoming scarce, and embroiling the United States in the 1973 oil crisis.

Israeli use of U.S.-provided military equipment in the 1982 Lebanon War resulted in controversy, exposing serious differences between Israeli and U.S. policies. Similar controversies attended Israel's use of weapons supplied by the U.S. in the course of the Palestinian First Intifada and al-Aqsa Intifada as well as the 2006 Lebanon War.

References

1. ^ United States: External Affairs", in Jane's Sentinel: North America 2007. Jane's Information Group, 2007.
2. ^ "Israel: External Affairs", in Jane's Sentinel: Eastern Mediterranean 2007. Jane's Information Group, 2007.
3. ^ Berrigan, Frida (July 20, 2006). "U.S. Military Assistance and Arms Transfers to Israel: U.S. Aid, Companies Fuel Israeli Military" (PDF). Arms Trade Resource Center Reports. World Policy Institute. Retrieved 2006-08-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
4. Conventional Arms Transfers to Developing Nations, 1998-2005, p. 62. Congressional Research Service, October 23, 2006.

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