Lankford Demands Defense Department Maintain High-ranking Security Official to Coordinate with Israel, Palestinian Authority

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin regarding reports that the Pentagon is considering downgrading the rank of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (USSC), who coordinates security operations between the US and the Palestinian Authority and Israel, from a three-star general to a colonel. The existing rank of three-star general empowers the post to speak directly to the Secretary of State and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Lankford was the lead author of the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act (PSJVTA), which was signed into law by President Trump. The PSJVTA strengthened the USSC mission in Israel and enabled the important security coordination between Israeli and the Palestinian security forces to resume. 

Lankford wrote in his letter, “I am writing to voice my strong support for the ongoing mission of the Office of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (USSC) in Jerusalem, and to urge that the position continue to be filled by a general and flag officer (GFO). While I understand the congressionally mandated requirement to reduce the number of active duty GFOs by 2023 per the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act and appreciate the difficult choices as a result, the USSC is critical to Israeli security, US interests in the Middle East, and stability in the region. I am concerned that downgrading the USSC’s rank will weaken the USSC’s mission and imperil US security interests in the Middle East.”

Lankford continues to stand up for Israel’s right to defend themselves and encourages ongoing national security collaboration between our governments. This week, Lankford introduced the Strengthening Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Operations (C-UAS) Partnerships Act, a bill to authorize the Secretary of Defense to bolster our work with allies and increase training capacity in counter-unmanned aerial systems (C-UAS) with partners like Israel who also lead in this area.  He also introduced the Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defense (DEFEND) Act to build on the success of the Abraham Accords by establishing an integrated air defense capability in the Middle East.

Lankford serves as Co-Chair of the Senate Abraham Accords Caucus, where he promotes acceptance of Israel among Arab States.  Last September, Lankford commemorated the first anniversary of the signing of the Abraham Accords, which he attended at the White House with President Trump and the leaders of Israel, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Lankford also led a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken to urge the US to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) due to the entity’s bias towards Israel.

You can read the full letter HERE and below:

Dear Secretary Austin,

I am writing to voice my  strong support for the ongoing mission of the Office of the United States Security Coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority (USSC) in Jerusalem, and to urge that the position continue to be filled by a general and flag officer (GFO). While I understand the congressionally mandated requirement to reduce the number of active duty GFOs by 2023 per the FY2017 National Defense Authorization Act and appreciate the difficult choices as a result, the USSC is critical to Israeli security, US interests in the Middle East, and stability in the region. I am concerned that downgrading the USSC’s rank will weaken the USSC’s mission and imperil US security interests in the Middle East.

The USSC is the key vessel through which the United States facilitates security cooperation between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinian Authority Security Forces (PASF), and is arguably the most successful counterterrorism initiative ever between Israel and the Palestinians. This security coordination aims to build trust between both sides by facilitating constructive institutional interaction between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, helping prevent terrorism against Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and combatting efforts by Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad to establish a foothold in the West Bank.

Following the passage of the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act in 2018, the Palestinian Authority declined to accept US assistance for joint security cooperation programs overseen by the USSC. In 2019, Congress passed the Promoting Security and Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, which enabled the restoration of this important security cooperation between American, Palestinian, and Israeli security forces. The passage of this law sent a clear message of our nation’s commitment to the security and wellbeing of Palestinians and Israelis alike, and it is not in our interest to now undermine that message by demoting the USSC from GFO rank.

The credibility of the USSC depends in large measure on it being led by a GFO. It directly signals a high-level of US support for this vital mission, and allows the USSC to interact on a peer-to-peer basis with Israeli and Palestinian generals and flag officers. It also establishes US leadership in the coalition of the other seven NATO countries who are part of the mission—many of whom assign officers of a comparable rank as a US GFO.

Congress intentionally sought to curtail the number of generals and flag officers in the FY2017 NDAA for the purpose of reducing waste at the Department of Defense and establishing a less bloated command structure. Since the USSC is housed at the Department of State, downgrading its rank will not fulfill the intent of Congress in implementing needed institutional reforms within the Pentagon. A RAND report commissioned by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness identified 132 GFO positions that did not meet the criteria for a required GFO, and the USSC was not among those positions. Downgrading positions like the USSC, which are assigned outside of DOD, would circumvent the intent of Congress to ensure proper leadership for our Armed Forces in the days ahead.

Should the USSC be less effective or be eliminated, it will have clear detrimental consequences for Israeli security, Palestinian safety and stability, and US leadership in the Middle East. Accordingly, I respectfully request that the USSC not be included in any reduction in active duty GFOs.

Thank you for your consideration of this request.

In God We Trust,

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