|
Passes House with 410-4 Vote; Overwhelming Democratic and Republican Support
May 20, 2010
Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Staten Island, Congressman Nye, and Congressman Poe for your work on this important issue.
Madam Speaker, why is it important for the United States to defend the national security of the State of Israel ? Well, it is important because the national security of the State of Israel is critically important to the national security of the United States of America.
How is that so? Well, we know first of all that the United States has been working with Israel and her technicians on improved missile defense technology. The Arrow missile system is a joint U.S.-Israel technological wonder that protects the United States and its forces around the world from incoming missilery from within zero to 600 miles. We know that the U.S. is working on a project with Israel called David's Sling, again a defensive system to protect U.S. forces and Israeli forces and people from rockets and mortars fired between 43 and 150 miles.
We are also working with the State of Israel , the United States is, on a very sophisticated anti-missile system called Arrow 3, which would allow us to defend against ICBMs fired as far as 1,200 miles away and get those missiles 1,200 miles away before they were over American soil or over our troops in the region or over our ally, the State of Israel .
So the money that we invest in missile defense with the State of Israel and having our scientists working jointly together is in the vital national security interest of the United States and in the vital national security interest of the State of Israel which provides Americans so many benefits, not just the benefits of supporting a fellow democracy and a nation who our Founders referred to as people deserving of the right to return to their natural homeland.
Israel has a strategic importance to the United States as well. It is located on the Mediterranean. It is located near the Red Sea. It is a bad neighborhood. A lot of the actors who would want to hurt Americans around the world and on U.S. soil are inspired, if not financed, from that region.
Israel has one of the world's greatest intelligence services. We Americans get day-to-day updates from that intelligence service which benefit us in our fight against terrorists who are trying to kill Americans around the world and on American soil.
And of course the money that we give Israel for its military acquisitions, 70 percent of the money is required to buy American-made munitions; American made.
Those are just some of the reasons. U.S. generals want Israel to have a missile defense system that will be able to be used to protect U.S. troops in the region as well as our ally, the State of Israel .
Also, as one of my colleagues mentioned earlier, we increase the chance for peace if potential adversaries know not only that we have a strong offensive power, but that we have a strong defense. So if they know that whatever they shoot at us won't land, won't blow up on us, and that we will then respond with overwhelming power and they haven't laid a glove on us, so to speak, then they will be deterred. They will say, gee, if I throw everything at them and it won't work because they are protected by this anti-missile system, and they will respond overwhelmingly, why the heck should we fire at them in the first place.
That is why a missile defense system for the United States has been so important. That's why a missile defense system for our number one strategic military ally in the region, the Jewish State of Israel , is so important for the United States. It will help protect Israel . It will help protect American troops in the region, and it will help reduce the chances of war if those who want to destroy Israel know Israel can survive an attack and then be ready with its own offensive response.
I thank the gentleman for offering this bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to support it as well.
|
