US Expediting Israel-Related Export Licenses, FMS Cases, Officials Say

U.S. agencies are prioritizing Israel-related exports and military sales as that country seeks more defense and dual-use equipment in the ongoing war in the region.

Eric Longnecker, a Bureau of Industry and Security official speaking during ComDef 2023 last week, said the agency is expediting all license applications involving Israel. It’s also still working to prioritize license applications for Ukraine and has processed “hundreds of licenses worth billions of dollars to support Ukraine” since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

“We're doing a lot of that in my shop,” said Longnecker, director of the BIS Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security. “A lot of things like personal protective equipment, things like that.”

The administration is also expediting foreign military sales to Israel, said James Hursch, director of the Defense Department’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency. He said the agency is working quickly to process Letters of Offer and Acceptance (LOAs) -- the government-to-government agreements used to transfer weapons and defense services to foreign governments through the Foreign Military Sales program.

“Believe it or not -- I'm not sure I want to advertise this -- but we have actually turned around some LOAs [for Israel] within 24 to 48 hours from request, which is absolutely incredible,” Hursch said during the conference.

But he also stressed that not every LOA is being processed that quickly. “It's really important to note that all of the military departments under certain circumstances can perform absolute miracles,” he said, “but they can't perform absolute miracles all the time.”