Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senators Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introduced the Abraham Accords Defense Cooperation Act today, which would require the U.S. Secretary of Defense to establish a defense cooperation initiative to strengthen regional defense partnerships between Abraham Accords countries and encourage other Arab nations to join the normalization agreements. Additionally, this bill would establish a funding stream for military cooperation amongst Abraham Accords countries to deter aggression from Iran and its proxies across the Middle East.
“Many of our Arab allies in the Middle East, such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), signatories of the Abraham Accords, remain in the crosshairs of Iranian missiles and drones. Iran continues to carry out attacks not only on regional Arab allies but is also intentionally targeting American military installations in the region and our ally Israel. For far too long Iran—the world’s greatest sponsor of state terror—and its proxies have threatened U.S. national and economic security while also disrupting peace in the Middle East. By bolstering defense cooperation among Abraham Accords countries, we can strengthen regional partnerships and fortify deterrence against Iranian aggression,” said Senator Budd.
“The Abraham Accords delivered what Iran fears most, a united front committed to peace instead of chaos. As co-chair of the bipartisan Abraham Accords Caucus, I have been proud to build upon the success of the Accords through my DEFEND Act and now through the Abraham Accords Defense Cooperation Act to unite our partners against Iran-backed terror. When our partners are prepared to deter the Iranian regime and its proxies, our world and our homeland are safer,” said Senator Ernst.
Read the full bill text HERE.
BACKGROUND
The historic Abraham Accords, negotiated by the United States in 2020, set the stage for a renewed era of cooperation in the Middle East. These diplomatic agreements sought to bolster stability and security in the Middle East by formalizing normalization agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Morocco, Sudan, and, most recently, Kazakhstan in 2025.
To build on the success of this historic agreement, the Abraham Accords Defense Cooperation Act:
- Requires the Secretary of Defense to establish an initiative to bolster defense cooperation with Abraham Accords countries.
- Requires the Secretary of Defense to prioritize deterring aggression by Iran and its proxies while also enhancing regional planning and cooperation among Abraham Accords countries, including:
- Counter-unmanned aircraft system capabilities, ground-based air defense, special operations force development, and joint air or naval military exercises, among other appropriate military capabilities as directed by the Secretary.
- Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit a report to the Senate Armed Services Committee, setting forth a strategy for achieving these objectives and a budget request for carrying out this initiative.
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