Analysis of Key Provisions in the Middle East in the "National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year"

List of Key Chapter Titles

1. U.S.-Israel Cooperative Missile Defense Programs
2. Further Improvements to the Middle East Joint Air and Missile Defense System
3. U.S.-Israel Underground Warfare Cooperation
4. U.S.-Israel Cooperation to Counter Enemy Unmanned Systems Across All Domains
5. U.S.-Israel Defense Industrial Base Working Group
6. U.S.-Israel Emerging Technology Cooperation
7. Report on U.S.-Israel Joint Military Exercises
8. Assessing the Impact of International Arms Embargoes on Israel
9. Strengthening War Reserve Stockpiles for Allies - Israel
10. Countering Wrongful Detention Act
11. Syria-Related Provisions: Repeal of the Caesar Act, Aid Authorization, Counterterrorism, and U.S.-Syria Relations
12. Other Regional Provisions: Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base, and Iraq

Document Introduction

This report, issued by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), aims to provide a systematic and forward-looking analysis of the key provisions related to Middle East security in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to be passed by the U.S. Congress. The core context of the report is that following Iran's missile attack on Israel in 2024, the twelve-day "war," Houthi maritime attacks, and the evolving regional situation in 2025, the bipartisan U.S. Congress is seeking to reshape and strengthen the U.S. security architecture, alliance relationships, and deterrence posture in the Middle East through legislative means.

The report's content is extensive and in-depth, primarily revolving around three strategic pillars. First, strengthening strategic collaboration between the United States and Israel is placed at the core. The bill not only provides full authorized funding for cooperative missile defense projects such as "Iron Dome," "David's Sling," and "Arrow-3," and adjusts the funding structure to prioritize replenishing "Arrow-3" interceptor inventories, but also unprecedentedly requires the establishment of a U.S.-Israel Defense Industrial Base Working Group. This group will assess the feasibility of integrating Israel into the U.S. National Technology and Industrial Base to address ammunition production shortfalls exposed during the Ukraine war and confrontations with Iran. Furthermore, cooperation expands into underground warfare, counter-unmanned systems, emerging technologies (AI, quantum, etc.), and regularized joint military exercises, aiming to comprehensively integrate Israel's "Startup Nation" innovation capabilities and consolidate its qualitative military edge.

Second, the report provides a detailed analysis of legislative efforts aimed at building a regional integrated air and missile defense architecture. The bill strongly encourages the Department of Defense to cooperate with Middle Eastern allies and partners to incorporate lessons learned from events such as the 2024 Iranian attack and the Twelve-Day War into a comprehensive air and missile defense framework. Related provisions stem directly from research jointly drafted by JINSA and the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, advocating for accelerating the maturation of the regional defense network through more realistic multinational exercises and optimized foreign military sales processes, while also providing a reference for the "Gold Dome" plan to protect the U.S. homeland.

Third, the report examines deterrence and containment provisions targeting Iran and its proxies, as well as strategies for dealing with the region's complex changes. Among these, the "Countering Wrongful Detention Act" aims to establish a new designation mechanism for "State Sponsors of Wrongful Detention," increasing penalties against countries like Iran that detain U.S. citizens. On Syria, the bill reflects a strategy of cautious engagement with the new government of Ahmad al-Sharaa following the fall of the Assad regime (the report assumes a post-late 2024 scenario), including conditional repeal of the Caesar Act, extending aid to vetted Syrian groups, while maintaining the U.S. military presence in northeastern Syria to retain leverage, and setting strict conditions for reopening an embassy. The report also analyzes restrictive provisions targeting Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraq's Iran-aligned militias, and assessments of the vulnerability of Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base.

The analytical foundation of this report is rooted in a series of in-depth thematic studies published by JINSA in recent years, such as "Forged in Fire: Middle East Air Defense After Iran's 2024 Attack on Israel," "Rethinking U.S. Hostage Policy in Gaza and Beyond," "Production Partners: U.S.-Israel Middle East Cooperation to Enhance the Collective Defense Industrial Base," and "Course Correction: Fixing America's Syria Strategy." The report not only interprets the legal text of the bill and the legal effect of joint explanatory statements provision by provision but also places them within the dynamic geopolitical strategic environment to assess their practical impact on U.S. Middle East policy, alliance management, and great power competition. It provides an indispensable and authoritative reference for professional readers to understand the direction of U.S. Congressional Middle East security policy in the coming year.

List of Key Chapter Titles

1. U.S.-Israel Cooperative Missile Defense Programs
2. Further Improvements to the Middle East Joint Air and Missile Defense System
3. U.S.-Israel Underground Warfare Cooperation
4. U.S.-Israel Cooperation to Counter Enemy Unmanned Systems Across All Domains
5. U.S.-Israel Defense Industrial Base Working Group
6. U.S.-Israel Emerging Technology Cooperation
7. Report on U.S.-Israel Joint Military Exercises
8. Assessing the Impact of International Arms Embargoes on Israel
9. Strengthening War Reserve Stockpiles for Allies - Israel
10. Countering Wrongful Detention Act
11. Syria-Related Provisions: Repeal of the Caesar Act, Aid Authorization, Counterterrorism, and U.S.-Syria Relations
12. Other Regional Provisions: Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base, and Iraq

Document Introduction

This report, issued by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), aims to provide a systematic and forward-looking analysis of the key provisions related to Middle East security in the upcoming Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to be passed by the U.S. Congress. The core context of the report is that following Iran's missile attack on Israel in 2024, the twelve-day "war," Houthi maritime attacks, and the evolving regional situation in 2025, the bipartisan U.S. Congress is seeking to reshape and strengthen the U.S. security architecture, alliance relationships, and deterrence posture in the Middle East through legislative means.

The report's content is extensive and in-depth, primarily revolving around three strategic pillars. First, strengthening strategic collaboration between the United States and Israel is placed at the core. The bill not only provides full authorized funding for cooperative missile defense projects such as "Iron Dome," "David's Sling," and "Arrow-3," and adjusts the funding structure to prioritize replenishing "Arrow-3" interceptor inventories, but also unprecedentedly requires the establishment of a U.S.-Israel Defense Industrial Base Working Group. This group will assess the feasibility of integrating Israel into the U.S. National Technology and Industrial Base to address ammunition production shortfalls exposed during the Ukraine war and confrontations with Iran. Furthermore, cooperation expands into underground warfare, counter-unmanned systems, emerging technologies (AI, quantum, etc.), and regularized joint military exercises, aiming to comprehensively integrate Israel's "Startup Nation" innovation capabilities and consolidate its qualitative military edge.

Second, the report provides a detailed analysis of legislative efforts aimed at building a regional integrated air and missile defense architecture. The bill strongly encourages the Department of Defense to cooperate with Middle Eastern allies and partners to incorporate lessons learned from events such as the 2024 Iranian attack and the Twelve-Day War into a comprehensive air and missile defense framework. Related provisions stem directly from research jointly drafted by JINSA and the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, advocating for accelerating the maturation of the regional defense network through more realistic multinational exercises and optimized foreign military sales processes, while also providing a reference for the "Gold Dome" plan to protect the U.S. homeland.

Third, the report examines deterrence and containment provisions targeting Iran and its proxies, as well as strategies for dealing with the region's complex changes. Among these, the "Countering Wrongful Detention Act" aims to establish a new designation mechanism for "State Sponsors of Wrongful Detention," increasing penalties against countries like Iran that detain U.S. citizens. On Syria, the bill reflects a strategy of cautious engagement with the new government of Ahmad al-Sharaa following the fall of the Assad regime (the report assumes a post-late 2024 scenario), including conditional repeal of the Caesar Act, extending aid to vetted Syrian groups, while maintaining the U.S. military presence in northeastern Syria to retain leverage, and setting strict conditions for reopening an embassy. The report also analyzes restrictive provisions targeting Lebanon's Hezbollah, Iraq's Iran-aligned militias, and assessments of the vulnerability of Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base.

The analytical foundation of this report is rooted in a series of in-depth thematic studies published by JINSA in recent years, such as "Forged in Fire: Middle East Air Defense After Iran's 2024 Attack on Israel," "Rethinking U.S. Hostage Policy in Gaza and Beyond," "Production Partners: U.S.-Israel Middle East Cooperation to Enhance the Collective Defense Industrial Base," and "Course Correction: Fixing America's Syria Strategy." The report not only interprets the legal text of the bill and the legal effect of joint explanatory statements provision by provision but also places them within the dynamic geopolitical strategic environment to assess their practical impact on U.S. Middle East policy, alliance management, and great power competition. It provides an indispensable and authoritative reference for professional readers to understand the direction of U.S. Congressional Middle East security policy in the coming year.