The House Appropriations Committee voted to provide funding for a ballistic missile defense system developed jointly by the United States and Israel.
Prior to the House vote Wednesday, funding for the Arrow System Improvement Program, which tests the capacity of the Arrow Weapons System, came solely from the Senate. The historic vote allocated $26 million to ASIP.
“In light of Iran’s open hostility toward the U.S. and Israel, I consider increasing the effectiveness of the Arrow system to be essential to our defense,” said Congressman Steve Rothman (D-N.J.), who requested the funding.
Rothman helped secure $70 million for programs related to the U.S.-Israeli AWS in the House Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Appropriations bill. The legislation will fund the interoperability of U.S. and Israeli systems combating long range ballistic missile threats, and will also set aside $25 million for the co-production of a short range missile defense program known as “David’s Sling.”
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