House Homeland Security Committee members Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) on Thursday introduced two bills designed to bolster collaboration between the United States and Israel on cyber security research and development (R&D).

Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies panel
Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas), chairman of the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies panel

Crafting of the legislation follows a visit to Israel in May by the two lawmakers and others in Congress to meet with Israeli officials on a range of issues, including cyber security and a year-old nuclear deal with Iran.

The United States-Israel Cybersecurity Cooperation Enhancement Act of 2016 would create a grant program for joint R&D efforts between Israeli and American entities, the congressmen said. They say the proposals would be peer-reviewed to meet research requirements determined by the Department of Homeland Security with input from an advisory board made up of U.S.-Israeli partnerships.

The United States-Israel Advanced Research Partnership Act of 2016 would expand an existing binational R&D program at the DHS Science and Technology branch’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.

Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), co-chairman of the Cyber Security Caucus.
Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), co-chairman of the Cyber Security Caucus.

“Our recent discussions with [Israeli] Prime Minister Netanyahu confirmed just how important it is that we unite forces to formulate ongoing, effective strategies to best address the rapidly evolving cyber threats faced by both of our nations,” Ratcliffe said in a statement. Langevin said in a statement that “The United States and Israel are the two top exporters of cyber security technologies. Our bills will leverage the reservoirs of expertise in both nations to advance the frontiers of cyber science.”

Ratcliffe is the chairman of the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity Subcommittee and Langevin is the co-chair of the Congressional Cybersecurity Caucus.