Trump admin labels Israel 'model US ally' ahead of major military aid talks

Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth released the 2026 National Defense Strategy (NDS), a Pentagon blueprint that elevates Israel arsenic a "model ally" and translates President Trump’s nationalist information doctrine into factual subject policy.

"Israel has agelong demonstrated that it is some consenting and capable to support itself with captious but constricted enactment from the United States. Israel is simply a exemplary ally, and we person an accidental present to further empower it to support itself and beforehand our shared interests, gathering connected President Trump’s historical efforts to unafraid bid successful the Middle East," the NDS states.

The papers is present influencing parallel debates implicit the aboriginal of U.S. information assistance to Israel and whether the adjacent Memorandum of Understanding, oregon MOU, should proceed delivering accepted U.S. subject assistance to Israel, amid dissenting voices that represent the confederation arsenic a load alternatively than a strategical asset.

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According to the strategy, Israel proved its quality and willingness to support itself pursuing the Oct. 7 attacks, demonstrating that it is not a passive spouse but an operational unit that supports U.S. interests successful the region. The strategy emphasizes empowering susceptible allies alternatively than constraining them, gathering connected President Trump’s earlier propulsion for determination integration done the Abraham Accords.

Israeli F-15 combatant jets accompanied 2 U.S. B-52 bombers done Israel's airspace connected Sunday. (Israel Defense Forces)

Jonathan Ruhe, manager of overseas argumentation astatine the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, said the strategy reflects a broader American displacement toward partnerships that fortify some U.S. information and home industry.

"U.S. defence assistance to Israel successful the MOU is spent successful dollars present successful America to enactment our industry," Ruhe told Fox News Digital. "And similar successful the nationalist information strategy, it past enables Israel to spell and bash much to support U.S. interests."

He said a aboriginal statement would apt widen beyond backing alone. "A caller MOU would besides apt beryllium broader and see things that are much 50-50 partnership, similar associated probe and development, co-production, quality sharing and things similar that to bespeak the changing concern going forward," Ruhe said.

The strategy besides highlights the value of revitalizing the American defence concern base, noting that allies purchasing U.S. systems assistance fortify home accumulation portion enabling partners to enarthrosis greater work for determination security.

Avner Golov, vice president of the Israeli deliberation vessel Mind Israel, said the papers makes wide that Israel is viewed not simply arsenic a recipient of aid, "Israel is successful the fight. We are protecting ourselves by ourselves. We conscionable request the tools to bash that. And by doing so, we heighten not lone America’s lasting successful the Middle East, but besides worldwide and lend to the American economy."

That framing comes arsenic Israel and the United States hole for negotiations implicit the adjacent 10-year MOU, which governs U.S. subject assistance to Israel. The existent agreement, signed successful 2016, provides $3.3 cardinal annually successful overseas subject financing, on with $500 cardinal a twelvemonth for rocket defence cooperation.

The Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Adm. Brad Cooper, precocious visited Israel arsenic the authoritative impermanent of the Chief of the General Staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir. Cooper and Zamir held an extended one-on-one meeting. This was followed by a gathering attended by further commanders. The IDF says the gathering serves arsenic different look of the narration betwixt the commanders and constitutes an further measurement successful enhancing the adjacent strategical narration betwixt the IDF and U.S. subject and successful strengthening defence practice betwixt the 2 nations. (IDF Spokesman's Unit.)

The statement follows tensions during the Biden administration, erstwhile the White House paused the transportation of definite U.S. weapons to Israel successful May 2024, including a shipment of 2,000-pound bombs. At the time, Netanyahu warned that Israel "will basal alone" if Washington halted weapons deliveries, reflecting interest that limits oregon delays successful U.S. subject enactment could undermine Israel’s readiness and deterrence. 

Experts person noted that U.S. leaders person not ever approved each Israeli weapons petition and that astir 70% of Israel’s subject imports travel from the United States, underscoring the strategical calculus down Prime Minister Netanyahu's caller propulsion for greater autarkic production.

Golov criticized that approach, arguing it risks prioritizing optics implicit readiness. "I judge that is simply a short-term vision," Golov said. "In the agelong term, Israel indispensable archetypal beryllium prepared for the adjacent circular of escalation. If we are not ready, we volition look different war. If we are prepared, possibly we tin deter it."

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President Donald Trump speaks to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu astatine Ben Gurion International Airport earlier boarding his level to Sharm El-Sheikh, connected Oct. 13, 2025 successful Tel Aviv, Israel (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

"Israel indispensable stay the strongest service successful the region, and that is besides a cardinal American interest," Golov said.

Ruhe said the statement reflects lessons learned from astir 2 years of war. "You’ve got this benignant of topsy-turvy satellite present wherever the Israelis are saying we don’t privation to instrumentality immoderate much U.S. money, and the Americans are saying, no, you’re going to instrumentality our money," helium said.

According to Ruhe, the struggle exposed vulnerabilities created by dense dependence connected U.S. proviso chains and governmental delays.

"The warfare of the past 2 years showed that Israel can’t spend to beryllium arsenic babelike connected the U.S. oregon proceed to support the aforesaid defence concern that it has due to the fact that that creates a dependence," helium said. "Israel becomes susceptible to U.S. shortages successful weapons output oregon politically motivated embargoes and holdups that tin interaction Israel’s readiness."

At the aforesaid time, Ruhe noted that Israel remains reliant connected the United States for large platforms.

"Even Israel volition accidental we’re utterly babelike connected the U.S. for those big-ticket platforms," helium said, pointing to craft specified arsenic the F-15 and F-35 that Israel has already committed to purchasing.

For that reason, Ruhe argued that maintaining unchangeable backing nether the adjacent MOU whitethorn beryllium the astir applicable way forward.

"It’s really overmuch easier for Congress conscionable to spell up and o.k. that money," helium said, explaining that predictable backing reduces yearly governmental battles connected Capitol Hill.

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An Israeli combatant pitchy taking disconnected to launched airstrikes against the Houthis successful Yemen.  (IDF)

Golov said Israel’s semipermanent nonsubjective should not beryllium reducing ties with Washington, but deepening them. "I don’t privation to trim dependency," helium said. "I privation to summation publication to America."

He described the emerging imaginativeness arsenic a cardinal displacement successful however the confederation is structured. "We are moving from a 20th-century assistance exemplary to a 21st-century strategical merger," Golov said. "Israel is the lone spouse that delivers a 400% instrumentality connected concern without asking for a azygous American soldier."

Golov said the projected model is built astir 3 pillars: an concern defence ecosystem, a associated exertion ecosystem and a determination ecosystem connecting Israeli innovation, Gulf infrastructure and American power.

He emphasized that maintaining U.S. information assistance during the modulation play is critical.

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This representation taken from Israel's confederate borderline with the Gaza Strip shows Israeli subject vehicles on the borderline with the Palestinian territory connected April 24, 2024, amid the ongoing struggle betwixt Israel and the militant radical Hamas. ((Photo by JACK GUEZ/AFP via Getty Images))

"We request a last ten-year ‘bridge’ with the existent information assistance MOU," Golov said. "A abrupt chopped would beryllium a unsafe awesome of American retreat to our enemies and whitethorn hinder IDF preparedness."

"I don’t cognize who the adjacent president of the United States volition be," helium added. "This is wherever our enemies tin work it successful a precise unsafe way."