Naval Vessel Transfer Act of 2008

H.R.7177
Introduced: 
September 27, 2008
110
Second
October 15, 2008
Became Public Law

1 cosponsor

Title II of this bill incorporates the following provisions of the Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Reform Act, 2008 (H.R. 5916 on 4/29/08):

Requires the president to carry out an assessment, based on “empirical and qualitative” criteria, of the “extent to which Israel possesses a qualitative military edge [QME] over military threats to Israel.” Arms sales to other countries in the Middle East will be conditioned on whether they undermine Israel’s QME based on these criteria. The report must be submitted to the appropriate congressional committees within 180 days of the bill’s passage and every four years thereafter.

Authorizes FY2009 military aid to Israel under the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) Program. The amount of aid is calculated as the amount of FMF grants appropriated for Israel in FY2008, plus $150 m. to be dispersed within 30 days of enactment of the relevant appropriations bill, or by 10/31/08, whichever occurs later. Of the total amount, Israel may use $670.65 m. for procurement of defense equipment and services, including research and development, in Israel.

Defines “qualitative military edge” as “the ability to counter and defeat any credible conventional military threat from any individual state or possible coalition of states or from non-state actors, while sustaining minimal damages and casualties, through use of superior military means, possessed in sufficient quality, including weapons, command, control, communication, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities that, in their technical characteristics, are superior in capability to those of such other individual or possible coalition of states or non-state actors.”

See also: similar measure H.R. 5916 of 4/29/08; and related measures H.R. 2638 of 6/8/07, H.R. 2642 of 6/11/07, S. 3288 of 7/18/08 and S. 3563 of 9/24/08.

Became public law 110-429 (10/1/08 passed in Senate by unanimous consent; 9/27/08 passed in House by voice vote).

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