New budget requests show cooperative programs down by over $100 million, no new Iron Dome funding after 2017, amid defense aid standoff.
Pentagon documents released on Tuesday indicate that the 2017 budget requests of the US Defense Department include a total of $145.8 million for Israeli missile defense programs, a sharp drop in financial support amid a standoff over American military aid.
The aid, meant for Israel’s missile interceptor programs including the short-range Iron Dome, medium-range David’s Sling and Arrow ballistic missile interceptor, includes far lower figures than those recorded the year before in 2016, reports Reuters.
A total of $103.8 million for Israeli cooperative programs was listed in the 2017 budget request, in a serious cut from $267.7 million in 2016. The funding for Iron Dome also dropped from $55 million in 2016 to $42 million in 2017.
The budget forecast shows that over the next five years the US intends to spend $540 million on cooperative programs, but the funding for Iron Dome is to end after the $42 million in 2017.
Tuesday’s revelation comes as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is locked in a standoff with US President Barack Obama’s administration over defense aid.
A total of $3 billion in defense aid is given annually, but with those agreements expiring in 2018, Netanyahu has asked for an increase to $5 billion annually, in light of the greater need for security due to the growing Iranian threat after the nuclear deal. It would appear the increased aid request is a sort of condition being placed by Netanyahu for having largely ended his open opposition to the deal.
On Sunday Netanyahu said that if Israeli needs are not met then he will wait to negotiate with the new president elected later this year, although US officials on Monday threatened that he would not get a better deal, urging him to accept Obama’s aid package of around $3.7 billion annually.
Speaking about the new budget requests on Tuesday, US Missile Defense Agency director Vice Admiral James Syring said that a “not insignificant” workshare of the cooperative agreement on the Iron Dome system goes to US firms, without giving the specific percentage share.
US defense aid stipulates that Israel use a majority of the American funds on American-made military hardware, causing Israel in many cases to forego purchasing domestic Israeli products that often are cheaper and of a higher quality so as to meet the conditions.
Syring also said the US and Israel are working on a second co-production agreement regarding the David’s Sling anti-missile system, but did not say when such a deal might be reached.
He added that Israel has not indicated as to whether it intends to ask for additional funds for missile defense programs, which it did last year after the budget request was sent to Congress. The missile defense director added that it is up to Congress to approve the budget and determine funding.
The Republicans want to cut Obama’s reserve for Israel in half.
So, baba blacksheep, keep up with your venomous attacks on the most intelligent President to hit the USA since the second world war to yourself. I’m glad you are not my friend, because my friends look at situations, they analyze situations, they evaluate alternatives and then make judgements and pronunciations.
And by the way, Trump stated that he would cut off all foreign aid, Israel included. Yes, Trump said so, and that action would give Israel the integer one below the number 1.
While you criticize Obama, look at how he cut the US deficit reduction, look at the lowest unemployment in decades, (much lower than when he came into office), look at the number of American Lives he saved by not going to war, but by using negotiation and look at how a ten million (more than the population of Israel) are able to purchase affordable health insurance because of his doing.
Israel should start putting out feelers to Iran to have a tolerance truce. That is what you should be expecting the Leader of Israel to be doing. And yes did you read about the Queen of Mean? http://forward.com/articles/123877/is-netanyahu-the-queen-of-mean/
Things are not so clean and honestly done in our wonderful Israel. Israel has warts too.
@ lsatenstein:
Obama’s adoring devotion to the Jewish People is most gratifying. He loves us almost as much as John Wilkes Booth loved Abraham Lincoln.
Yes, that is doubtlessly the main reason. Prior to that outrageous act of Zionist treachery, IslamoNazis thanked Allah six times daily for the existence of their cherished Hebrew brothers. By the way, the same was true of Hitler. He worshiped the Jews until Groucho Marx got fresh with Margaret Dumont in “Animal Crackers”.
If only the Sons of Pigs would just learn to behave…
Only Trump has recognized the problem of all the candidates.
Obama is playing political games before the election because he wants to convince people that the Democrats actually back Israel full bore!
Since he has been playing games on what he is offering. You can have this or well maybe not the Netanyahu government is thinking about what to do.
Obama did give Iran a great deal. This why all the Iranians danced and cheered when the deal was announced. As Trump said the worst deal ever and the USA got screwed. So did Israel.
Obama has probably made a great offer to Israel. Congress decides on the budget and budget cuts. Given this is an international deal, the president’s role is to sign or refuse to sign the deal.
With Trump or Clinton in the White House, you will see definite cuts to foreign aide as the USA tries to move to zero deficit spending.
I am not party to distrusts between BeBe and Obama, but it appears to me that Obama saved many lives, while BeBe wants to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. Negotiation is better than wars.
Trade will make better friends than bombing. The old religious biggot, Ali Khamenei, will die soon, and we should expect an improvement in relations. Israel should look to understanding that Iran still hurts from the Israeli bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities that took place a few years back.
Is That bombing the main reason for Iran’s hatred of Israel?