[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 133 (Friday, August 1, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5388-S5389]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SA 3622. Mr. RISCH submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by
him to the bill S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year
2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy,
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:
On page 716, strike line 17 and all that follows through
``Section'' on line 20, and insert the following:
SEC. 1256. COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS TO COUNTER UNMANNED AERIAL
SYSTEMS.
(a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
(1) the United States condemns the January 28, 2024, drone
attack on Tower 22 in Jordan by Iranian-backed militias that
tragically took the lives of 3 American servicemembers and
wounded 47 others;
(2) one-way attack drones and similar low-cost armed
unmanned aerial systems are the most dangerous asymmetric
threat employed by Iranian-aligned militias against Americans
and American interests;
(3) United States defense against drones relies on a
patchwork of defensive systems, and the United States and
like-minded partners need to develop defensive systems that
leverage innovation and are responsive to rapidly changing
technology and attack methodologies;
(4) the United States should improve cooperation with like-
minded partners to systematically map out, expose, and
disrupt missile and drone procurement networks used by the
Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and other Iranian proxies
targeting United States forces and assets and United States
allies and partners in the region;
(5) the partner countries of the United States, including
Israel, Jordan, and countries on the Arabian Peninsula, face
urgent and emerging threats from unmanned aerial systems and
other unmanned aerial vehicles;
(6) joint research and development to counter unmanned
aerial systems will serve the national security interests of
the United States and its partners in Israel, Jordan, and on
the Arabian Peninsula;
(7) development of counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems
technology will reduce the impacts of these attacks, build
deterrence, and increase regional stability; and
(8) the United States and partners in Israel, Jordan, and
on the Arabian Peninsula should continue to work together to
protect against the threat from unmanned aerial systems.
(b) Defined Term.--In this section, the term ``Arabian
Peninsula'' means Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
(c) Authority To Enter Into a Cooperative Agreement to
Protect Americans in Israel, Jordan, and on the Arabian
Peninsula From Weaponized Unmanned Aerial Systems.--
(1) In general.--The President is authorized to enter into
cooperative project agreements with Israel, Jordan, and
countries on the Arabian Peninsula under the authority of
section 27 of the Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2767) to
carry out research on and development, testing, evaluation,
and joint production (including follow-on support) of defense
articles and defense services to detect, track, and destroy
armed unmanned aerial systems that threaten the United States
and its partners in Israel, Jordan, and on the Arabian
Peninsula.
(2) Applicable requirements.--
(A) In general.--The cooperative project agreements
described in paragraph (1)--
(i) shall provide that any activities carried out pursuant
to such agreement are subject to--
(I) the applicable requirements described in subparagraphs
(A), (B), and (C) of section 27(b)(2) of the Arms Export
Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2767(b)(2)); and
(II) any other applicable requirements of the Arms Export
Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751 et seq.) with respect to the use,
transfer, and security of such defense articles and defense
services under such Act;
(ii) shall establish a framework to negotiate the rights to
intellectual property developed under such agreement; and
(iii) shall be defensive in nature.
(B) Congressional notification requirements.--
Notwithstanding section 27(g) of the Arms Export Control Act
(22 U.S.C. 2767(g)), any defense articles that result from a
cooperative project agreement shall be subject to
[[Page S5389]]
the requirements under subsections (b) and (c) of section 36
of such Act (22 U.S.C. 2776).
(d) Rule of Construction With Respect to Use of Military
Force.--Nothing in this section may be construed as an
authorization for the use of military force.
(e) Extension and Modification of United States-Israel
Cooperation to Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems.--Section
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