Stars and Stripes:
Members of Congress have called on the U.S. military to examine the immediate purchase of Iron Dome short-range rocket-interception systems from Israel. In a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense co-signed by 40 members of Congress, Reps. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., and Peter Roskam, R-Ill., also call for a budget of $500 million for support of Israeli missile- and rocket-defense systems in the 2019 fiscal year.
Roskam said in a news release, “U.S.-Israel missile defense cooperation is a critical investment in the safety and security of Israel and stability in the Middle East. “This cooperation improves Israel’s ability to defend its citizens and the U.S. Army’s recent tests of Iron Dome is a clear indication that our own forces can benefit from this battle-proven technology.”
The letter itself states, “We also envision the possibility of utilizing U.S.-Israeli missile defense systems beyond the Middle East. Today, our forces face challenges from an emboldened, aggressive, and increasingly militarized Russia, North Korea, and other adversaries heightening our immediate need for advanced missile defense systems to protect our forward-based forces and key fixed installations…
