S. 4681: Optimizing Acquisition Strategies for Integrated Security in the Middle East Act of 2026

This bill would require the Pentagon to study and improve how the United States and its partners in the Middle East acquire air and missile defense systems and interceptors. It is focused on defenses against missiles, rockets, and drones, especially in the area covered by U.S. Central Command.

What the bill requires

• Within 180 days, the Secretary of Defense, working with the Secretary of State, must assess U.S. and partner-country air and missile defense systems and interceptors in the CENTCOM region.
• The Pentagon must then report its findings to congressional defense committees.

What must be included in the assessment

• A description of the defense systems and interceptors currently used by the U.S. and certain foreign partners.
• An analysis of current stockpiles and production rates for those systems.
• A count of how many systems were deployed and how many interceptors were used to respond to attacks since October 7, 2023, broken out between the U.S. and partner countries.
• An assessment of which defense systems in the region have been damaged or destroyed in attacks since that date.
• An assessment of U.S.-made systems and interceptors for which U.S. industry cannot meet foreign partners’ orders, forcing those partners to buy elsewhere.

Required strategy and implementation plan

Within 180 days, the Secretary of Defense, again working with the Secretary of State, must also submit a strategy and implementation plan for building a multinational air and missile defense acquisition approach with foreign partners in the CENTCOM area. The plan must discuss:

• Current efforts to prioritize defense needs and replenish interceptor supplies.
• Ways to transfer U.S. defense systems to partners more quickly.
• Ways to expand supply bases in the CENTCOM region.
• The feasibility and cost of creating a regional stockpile of defense systems and interceptors for U.S. and partner use.
• The feasibility of joint ventures, licensing agreements, and co-production or manufacturing partnerships with foreign partners.
• Ways to speed up joint research, development, procurement, and transfer of lower-cost or alternative interceptor solutions.
• Legal, economic, and defense-policy issues related to closer cooperation.
• Lessons learned from air defense efforts in places such as Ukraine, the Middle East and North Africa, the Caucasus, and the Horn of Africa.

The plan must be submitted in unclassified form, though it may include a classified annex. It also must be written so that intelligence sources and methods, sensitive information, and U.S. national security interests are protected.

Missile Defense Agency working group

Within 120 days, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency must create a regional working group, in consultation with U.S. Central Command and the Secretary of State. The group would be called the Multilateral Middle East Missile and Drone Defense Working Group.

This working group would:

• Share lessons learned from battlefield experience on a regular basis.
• Help shape future research, testing, production, procurement, training, and doctrine.
• Bring together representatives from the United States, foreign specified partners, and others the Director considers appropriate.
• Meet at least every six months.

Ongoing reporting

Starting one year after the working group is created, and then every year after that, the Director must report to Congress on the group’s activities. Each report must include:

• Which partner governments are participating and how involved they are.
• What meetings were held.
• What lessons were shared from battlefield experience.
• What capability gaps exist among the United States and its partners.
• Recommendations for legislative or administrative changes.

These reports must also be unclassified, with a classified annex allowed.

Definitions

The bill defines the covered defense systems broadly to include air and missile defense equipment, drone-defense equipment, rocket-defense equipment, sensors, radars, launchers, command-and-control centers, and related parts. It defines “attacks” as missile, drone, and rocket attacks from Iran and groups linked to Iran. “Foreign specified partners” means allies and partners in the CENTCOM region.

Relevant Companies

• LMT — Could be affected by potential U.S. and partner-country demand for missile defense systems, interceptors, radars, launchers, and related support.
• NOC — May be affected through missile defense, command-and-control, sensors, and related air defense systems used by the Pentagon and allies.
• RTX — Could be affected by increased attention to air defense interceptors, radar systems, and missile defense procurement and co-production.
• LHX — May be affected if the bill leads to more demand for sensors, command-and-control systems, and integrated air defense capabilities.
• TDG — Could see indirect impact if interceptor and defense-system production constraints lead to more procurement, upgrades, or supply-chain activity.
• GE — Could be indirectly affected if regional defense production and logistics partnerships expand, though impact would likely be less direct than the firms above.