Keep Factually independent
Whether you agree or disagree with our analysis, these conversations matter for democracy. We don't take money from political groups - even a $5 donation helps us keep it that way.
How much annual military aid does the U.S. provide to Israel and how has it changed over time?
Executive summary
The baseline U.S. commitment to Israel under the current Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is roughly $3.8 billion per year in military assistance and missile‑defense funding — a figure set by the 2016 agreement and extending through 2028 [1] [2]. Since the October 7, 2023 Gaza war the United States has also provided large emergency and supplemental transfers — analysts count at least $21.7 billion in military aid and arms transfers to Israel from Oct. 2023 through 2025 in addition to ongoing sales and stock replenishments [3] [4].
1. The steady baseline: the 2016 MOU that set $3.8 billion annually
The core, recurring figure that most official and analytical accounts point to is $3.8 billion per year in U.S. military assistance and missile‑defense funding, established by the 2016 U.S.–Israel MOU signed under the Obama administration; that MOU runs through 2028 and has been the reference point for negotiations about future aid [1] [2].
2. Emergency wartime transfers: tens of billions added since Oct. 7, 2023
Beyond the MOU baseline, multiple analyses document a substantial wave of additional support since the October 2023 Hamas attack: William Hartung and the Costs of War project count at least $21.7 billion in military aid and transfers to Israel from Oct. 7, 2023 through September 2025, a number that excludes longer‑term arms contracts committed but not yet delivered [3] [4].
3. How that $21.7 billion breaks down in reporting
Reporting and think‑tank work find that the post‑Oct. 2023 total includes expedited drawdowns from U.S. stockpiles, emergency appropriations, and notified arms sales and contracts — for example, drawdowns and replenishments, special funding for munitions, and large notifications to Congress for sales that will be paid over time [4] [5] [6].
4. Official U.S. actions and statements during 2024–2025
U.S. government releases and State Department pages note specific expedited releases — statements referenced approximately $4 billion in emergency military assistance in at least one announcement — and administration policy moves that changed conditions attached to assistance [7] [8]. The State Department also records long‑standing security cooperation and a large portfolio of active Foreign Military Sales cases valued in the tens of billions [9].
5. Longer‑term contracts and committed sales complicate “annual” totals
Journalists and policy analysts caution that many reported figures mix immediate grants, drawdowns, and multi‑year sales commitments. Committed arms sales (notifications to Congress) — some priced in the billions — will be paid and delivered over future years, meaning headline totals (e.g., a reported $8 billion sale) are not the same as one‑year aid disbursements [5] [4].
6. How U.S. aid has changed over decades: rises in nominal terms, shifts in composition
Historically, U.S. military aid to Israel increased in steps: past agreements moved the floor from roughly $2.7 billion annually [10] to $3.0 billion [11] and then to $3.8 billion in the 2016 MOU; meanwhile the share of funding that Israel could spend on domestic purchases (the 25% OSP rule) has been phased down toward zero by 2028, shifting more procurement through U.S. suppliers [2] [9].
7. Political dynamics shaping future annual levels
Israel has reportedly sought a new, longer security agreement (a 20‑year deal) that would aim to preserve or increase annual assistance and add provisions to appeal to conservative U.S. politics (for example, shifting some funding into joint R&D), but those negotiations are described as politically complicated amid changing views in Congress and the Biden and Trump administrations [12] [13] [1].
8. Competing perspectives and reported agendas
Analysts like the Quincy Institute and Costs of War frame the post‑2023 surge as emergency wartime support and tally large cumulative sums [3] [4]. Government statements emphasize longstanding strategic commitment and routine security cooperation [9] [7]. Media reporting notes that Israeli officials seek flexibility (e.g., co‑production and R&D) to broaden appeal to U.S. constituencies, an approach aimed at addressing skepticism about foreign aid [12] [1].
9. What the available sources do not settle
Available sources do not provide a single, officially consolidated “annual” figure that combines baseline MOU dollars, emergency supplemental appropriations, drawdowns, and multiyear sales commitments for every fiscal year since 2023 — analysts therefore report both the steady $3.8 billion baseline and separate tallies (e.g., $21.7 billion for Oct. 2023–Sept. 2025) depending on definitions [2] [3].
10. Bottom line for readers
Use $3.8 billion per year as the standard baseline set by the 2016 MOU through 2028 [1] [2], and treat post‑Oct. 2023 reporting of roughly $21.7 billion (Oct. 2023–Sept. 2025) as the best documented recent supplemental surge; understand that committed multi‑year arms sales, drawdowns from stockpiles and emergency appropriations complicate simple “per year” accounting and are the subject of active political negotiation [3] [4] [5].