CounterPunch Exclusives

CounterPunch Exclusives

Declaration of Independence 1776: Declaration of Abdication 2026

Image Source: Writing the Declaration of Independence, 1776, a 1900 portrait by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris – Public Domain

As the United States commemorates the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the nation is set to abdicate its independence 250 years later.

The U.S. Congress is slated to pass the 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA)—“must-pass” legislation that determines military spending and outlines defense policies for the fiscal year.

Consistently over 3,000 pages, the massive funding bill is rarely scrutinized and passes with little or no opposition.  This year, the Trump administration has asked for an historic $1.5 trillion in total defense spending.

Buried in the pending NDAA, is a gravely consequential proposal to create permanent structures that would merge the militaries of the United States and Israel.  The measure, Section 219 (in the House) and Section 1217 (in the Senate), titled the “United States-Israel Defense Technology Cooperation Initiative,” blurs the lines between conventional cooperation between allies.

Section 219 would require the U.S. defense secretary to appoint a single  “executive agent” to synchronize cooperative military and defense efforts between the two countries.  The provision includes bilateral integration of military planning, intelligence sharing, technological development, procurement systems and strategic operations.

If signed into law, Congress would have essentially ceded the nation’s autonomy to a foreign power. Israel has, over decades, successfully secured its influence within U.S. governmental, economic and media institutions. Legislative efforts to integrate the military sectors, as proposed, would complete and legalize their influence.

The effort to fuse the two militaries was spearheaded by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a coalition of U.S. legislators and Israeli advocacy groups, like the powerful lobby, America Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

Facing waning public support, pro-Israel groups are attempting to institutionalize an irreversible U.S.-Israeli military-industrial merger.  By burying this alliance deep within the Pentagon bureaucracy, they aim to bypass congressional oversight and American voters.

Israel and its........

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