Israel may find an alternative to the long-standing model of American security assistance, Israeli officials told Israel HaYom.

The issue of revising the policy, which has been in place since the 1973 Yom Kippur War, was introduced on Thursday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who suggested the country is preparing to move toward greater self-reliance. “The direction is much greater independence. I expect to have something to say about this soon,” he said.

For over 50 years, Washington has provided Israel with annual defense support worth several billion dollars. While the early arrangements allowed Israel broad discretion in how to spend the money, the structure has shifted over the years. Under the current agreement, nearly all of the roughly $3.8 billion transferred each year must be used to purchase American-made defense systems.