Airmen from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron assist in loading aircraft engine cargo onto a C-130J Super Hercules bound for Africa during a foreign military sales mission at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, June 24, 2022.

Airmen from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron assist in loading aircraft engine cargo onto a C-130J Super Hercules bound for Africa during a foreign military sales mission at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, June 24, 2022. U.S. Air Force / Staff Sgt. Marco A. Gomez

Pentagon Wants Combatant Commands More Involved in Foreign Arms Sales

DOD's other ideas to speed up exports include creating a Defense Security Cooperation Service.

The Pentagon wants its regional combatant commands around the world involved more in the sales of U.S. weapons to other countries, U.S. Defense Department officials said.

The move is one of several recommendations made by a “tiger team” looking for ways to speed up the foreign military sales process.

“I think a key…element of the tiger team findings was an understanding that we needed to do more to incorporate the COCOM point of view into the system as it operates here inside the Pentagon and in Washington,” Sasha Baker, defense deputy undersecretary for policy, said at a Tuesday briefing. “Oftentimes, our COCOM commanders, who are closest to the issues and closest to the partners, may be hearing about challenges or timing issues or desire on the part of one partner to sort of maybe reorder their own priorities.”

It’s the latest in a series of moves being explored by the Pentagon and State Department to make the foreign arms sales process quicker. Numerous organizations within the agencies play a role in selling U.S. weapons to other countries, and the White House must propose all foreign military sales and Congress must approve them. The Pentagon acts as sort of a middle man, placing and overseeing allies’ orders from order though delivery—and also sustainment.

The push to speed up foreign sales is not new; the slow pace is a common gripe among defense executives, who say it has lost them sales to China, Russia, and European allies.

Speed has become an extra concern of late as the U.S. and its allies have sought to arm Ukraine against Russia, and is looking to to the same with Taiwan to help fend off a possible invasion by China. Many companies are still experiencing pandemic-related supply chain problems, while assembly lines for key weapons—including munitions—are largely maxed out.

Earlier this month, the Aerospace Industries Association, National Defense Industrial Association, and Professional Services Council made several recommendations to modernize the process, including calling on the government to make quicker policy decisions and create timelines for arms sale so possible sales don’t hang in the balance indefinitely. For instance, an F-35 stealth fighter sale to the United Arab Emirates approved near the end of the Trump administration is still under consideration, despite the Biden administration putting a hold on it in 2021.

The Pentagon on Tuesday said it plans to create a Defense Security Cooperation Service that is similar to the Defense Attaché Service. They also want to “enable efficient reviews for release of technology.”  

Officials also want to incorporate allies’ weapons requirements into defense industrial base planning so they know if companies have the capacity to manufacture the correct weapons. 

“This will include developing a comprehensive study to incentivize [defense industrial base] investment in production capacity and building surge capability for high-demand, low-supply platforms, systems, and services,” the Pentagon said in a statement. “The strategy will include use of multi-year contracts; enhanced use of the Special Defense Acquisition Fund; five-year predictive analyses of partner demand; and sustained engagement with the DIB.”

AIA CEO Eric Fanning called the Pentagon tiger team’s recommendations “an important step in the modernization of the foreign military sales system. Now the work of immediate implementation begins—and industry is ready to get started today.”

These efforts come as the U.S. and its allies have sped billions of dollars worth of weapons to Ukraine to defend against a Russian invasion. But in most cases involving Ukraine, the weapons came from U.S. and ally stockpiles, allowing them to be transferred quickly.

X
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and to analyze performance and traffic on our website. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. Learn More / Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Accept Cookies
X
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Do Not Sell My Personal Information

When you visit our website, we store cookies on your browser to collect information. The information collected might relate to you, your preferences or your device, and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to and to provide a more personalized web experience. However, you can choose not to allow certain types of cookies, which may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings according to your preference. You cannot opt-out of our First Party Strictly Necessary Cookies as they are deployed in order to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting the cookie banner and remembering your settings, to log into your account, to redirect you when you log out, etc.). For more information about the First and Third Party Cookies used please follow this link.

Allow All Cookies

Manage Consent Preferences

Strictly Necessary Cookies - Always Active

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data, Targeting & Social Media Cookies

Under the California Consumer Privacy Act, you have the right to opt-out of the sale of your personal information to third parties. These cookies collect information for analytics and to personalize your experience with targeted ads. You may exercise your right to opt out of the sale of personal information by using this toggle switch. If you opt out we will not be able to offer you personalised ads and will not hand over your personal information to any third parties. Additionally, you may contact our legal department for further clarification about your rights as a California consumer by using this Exercise My Rights link

If you have enabled privacy controls on your browser (such as a plugin), we have to take that as a valid request to opt-out. Therefore we would not be able to track your activity through the web. This may affect our ability to personalize ads according to your preferences.

Targeting cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.

Social media cookies are set by a range of social media services that we have added to the site to enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They are capable of tracking your browser across other sites and building up a profile of your interests. This may impact the content and messages you see on other websites you visit. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to use or see these sharing tools.

If you want to opt out of all of our lead reports and lists, please submit a privacy request at our Do Not Sell page.

Save Settings
Cookie Preferences Cookie List

Cookie List

A cookie is a small piece of data (text file) that a website – when visited by a user – asks your browser to store on your device in order to remember information about you, such as your language preference or login information. Those cookies are set by us and called first-party cookies. We also use third-party cookies – which are cookies from a domain different than the domain of the website you are visiting – for our advertising and marketing efforts. More specifically, we use cookies and other tracking technologies for the following purposes:

Strictly Necessary Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Functional Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Performance Cookies

We do not allow you to opt-out of our certain cookies, as they are necessary to ensure the proper functioning of our website (such as prompting our cookie banner and remembering your privacy choices) and/or to monitor site performance. These cookies are not used in a way that constitutes a “sale” of your data under the CCPA. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not work as intended if you do so. You can usually find these settings in the Options or Preferences menu of your browser. Visit www.allaboutcookies.org to learn more.

Sale of Personal Data

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Social Media Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.

Targeting Cookies

We also use cookies to personalize your experience on our websites, including by determining the most relevant content and advertisements to show you, and to monitor site traffic and performance, so that we may improve our websites and your experience. You may opt out of our use of such cookies (and the associated “sale” of your Personal Information) by using this toggle switch. You will still see some advertising, regardless of your selection. Because we do not track you across different devices, browsers and GEMG properties, your selection will take effect only on this browser, this device and this website.