The Israeli Defense Ministry and the U.S. Department of Defense this week convened the annual U.S.-Israel Defense Acquisition Advisory Group in the Jewish state.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, the ministry’s director general, hosted the American delegation led by Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William A. LaPlante.
The leaders discussed the countries’ “ironclad” defense partnership and the breadth and depth of the bilateral relationship as it relates to industrial cooperation, joint research and development and priority procurement initiatives. The teams also focused on Israel’s capabilities to cope with regional challenges and threats, namely the Iranian ambition to undermine Middle Eastern stability.
“The defense relations between Israel and the United States are robust and based on a deep partnership and shared values,” said Zamir. “We will continue to stand together in the face of shared security challenges such as the Iranian threat to regional stability.
“We will work together to continually ensure the State of Israel’s qualitative military edge,” he added.
The DoD delegation got a first-hand look at Israeli defense industries’ innovation in various fields and committed to strengthening ties between the countries.
Israel became the 13th country to sign a bilateral Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) agreement with the DoD and celebrated the establishment of the U.S.-Israel Defense Industrial Base Working Group. This arrangement allows the defense ministries to exchange reciprocal priority support for goods and services that promote national defense.
The SOSA will also enable the countries to acquire industrial resources from each other needed to resolve unanticipated supply chain disruptions to meet national security needs.
