President Barack Obama on Dec. 16 signed into law a bill designed to strengthen collaboration between the United States and Israel on cyber security research.
The United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016 (H.R. 5877) expands an existing binational research and development program at the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate’s Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency to include cyber security technologies. The collaboration is between DHS and the Israeli Ministry of Public Security and is aimed at helping new products move from basic and early applied research to commercialization.
The legislation was introduced in 2016 by Reps. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) and James Langevin (D-R.I.) following their visit to Israel to discuss security issues. Ratcliffe chairs the Homeland Security Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies Subcommittee. Langevin is a member of the subcommittee and co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus.
The lawmakers said the cyber security research partnership between the two governments will help new products through the “valley of death” between basic and early-phase applied research and successful commercialization, and will help each country develop capabilities unique to their respective cyber security challenges.
“Passage of this law will enhance cyber security for the United States and Israel, putting us on a shared patch toward innovative solutions to the threats we face,” Langevin said in a statement the evening of Dec. 19. “I look forward to continuing to work with Chairman Ratcliffe to strengthen our relationship with Israel, including by passage of the United States-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act next Congress.”
The Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act (H.R. 5843) was also introduced by Ratcliffe and Langevin this summer and approved by the House in November but the legislation wasn’t taken up by the Senate. The bill would create a grant program for joint R&D efforts between Israeli and American entities.
“Cybersecurity is the national and economic security challenge of our time, and we must use every resource at our disposal to support research, foster innovation, and fortify our cyber defenses,” Langevin stated. “This must include a collaborative approach that allows us to work with our leading partners, like Israel, to develop new technologies for our cyber incident responders.”