Congress passes $886 billion for Pentagon, increases military aid to Israel – National & International News – THU 14Dec2023

The 2024 defense spending bill massively increases military aid and cooperation for Israel despite increasing threats to US security, diplomatic and economic interests.

NATIONAL NEWS

Congress passes $886 billion for Pentagon, massive new aid for Israel

Each year, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is one of the few spending authorizations that makes it through both chambers of Congress with little friction from either Democrats or Republicans. Next year’s NDAA has just breezed through, authorizing $886 billion for defense pending, up 3% from last year. This year’s bill includes a 5% raise for military personnel, the largest raise they’ve had for 20 years. It also includes $300 million in military aid for Ukraine. This is separate from the $61 billion aid package Biden is seeking.

Last month, the Pentagon failed its 6th yearly audit in a row. Only one in four of the Pentagon’s auditing units managed a passing grade, which was similar to last year’s performance. The Department of Defense remains the only federal agency to have never passed an audit.

Increased military spending and cooperation with Israel

The bill also substantially increases US military cooperation and support for Israel, despite widespread criticism over Israel’s bombing and invasion campaign in Gaza. According to Euro Med Monitor (EMM), since October 7, Israel has killed 24,711 Gazans, nearly 93% of them civilians (22,901). The number of dead children is also fast approaching 10,000, with a current count of 9643. That’s 223 more than when EMM posted its last set of figures on Monday.

NDAA 2024 authorizes  $500 million in missiles for Israel, It also includes $47.5 million for “new U.S.-Israel cooperation on emerging defense technologies,” including artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. There’s a 40% increase in funding for the cooperative counter-drone program to $55 million.

The bill also allows the Pentagon to transfer weapons to Israel through January 2027 including precision-guided munitions. The Pentagon is also instructed to consider deploying U.S. KC-46 refueling tanker aircraft to Israel. Furthermore, the bill directs the Pentagon to “develop a strategy for improved integrated maritime domain awareness and interdiction capabilities to counter seaborne threats against Israel“.

Unusually for a defense bill, NDAA 2024 also “establishes a presidential envoy for the Abraham Accords, Negev Forum and related integration and normalization agreements”. Initiatives like the Abraham Accords, begun under former President Trump, are widely considered to be one of the catalysts behind the attack by Hamas on October 7. The Accords seek to help Israel normalize relationships with Arab countries without resolving the question of a Palestinian state.

Since October 7, growing anger in the Arab world over Israel’s campaign in Gaza has largely put ongoing Abraham Accord negotiations on hold. Many believed Saudi Arabia was on the cusp of normalizing relations with Israel under the accords, but that has since been paused.

Growing “friction” between Washington and Israel over Gaza

These spending and diplomatic measures have passed even as the Biden administration, at least publicly, is making a show of trying to tamp down Israel’s aggression in Gaza. White House National Security spokesman John Kirby said today that the US wants Israel’s current broad military campaign in Gaza to end “as soon as possible”. However, Kirby gave no timeline and said that rather than ending its campaign altogether, the US wanted Israel to restrict itself to more “targeted” fighting. Despite growing international pressure, Israel is saying this could go on for several more months.

Nevertheless, NDAA 2024 signals Biden’s continuing support for Israel despite Gaza’s rising death toll, as well as the growing humanitarian catastrophes of starvation, disease and cold exposure ravaging the Strip’s 1,850,000 displaced people. This is making the US increasingly lonely on the world stage. The longer the Gaza campaign goes on without real US pushback, Biden risks alienating other key global economic and security partners, especially in the Arab world.

Meanwhile, the Houthis in Yemen declared this weekend that they will be targeting all ships heading to Israel through their territorial waters. Just today, the Houthis fired a missile at a container ship but missed. Houthi territory overlooks the Bab el-Mandeb Strait which leads into the Red Sea and on through to the Suez Canal, a key point for world shipping. Increased threats to shipping in this corridor are likely to make insurers and investors nervous, making it more costly to ship goods all over the world. Additionally, US Navy vessels frequently patrol this area, increasing the likelihood that these ships will be engaged in combat.

This global threat may be only the beginning as hawks in Israel are weighing opening other fronts in their war, particularly against Iran and Lebanon.