Improving Arms Sales, Technology Transfer, and Defense Industrial Cooperation with Allies and Partners

Abstract

"This paper examines barriers to effective international arms sales between the United States and its allies and partners. U.S. allies and partners frequently face barriers to receiving advanced technologies and military equipment because of cumbersome policies and regulations around Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and International Traffic in Arms Regulations. They also face delays in acquiring vital weapons systems and challenges related to integrating U.S. technologies into their armed forces. To illuminate these challenges, the Center for Strategic and International Studies will be presenting results from the first ever survey of member states of the Defense MOU Attaches Group (DMAG), the set of nations who have Reciprocal Defense Procurement Agreements with the United States. The survey identifies challenges and enablers allies and partners undergo when doing business with the United States. Topics span selling/receiving arms to/from the United States, complex and rigid U.S. export control policies, country-specific security and defense industrial goals, processes that enable technology transfer and weapons sales, and the utility of defense cooperation agreements and programs. The implications and relevance of this project for the larger acquisition community lie in streamlining international defense procurement procedures, which is of paramount importance given today’s global threat environment. The National Defense Industrial Strategy highlights the importance of working with allies and partners in one of its four strategic priorities, Economic Deterrence. While Foreign Military Sales offer the potential for allies to greatly increase their military power and for the United States to strengthen the overall bilateral relationship, the United States has a complex set of rules governing arms sales and dual-use technologies that are often too rigid and complex. These regulations, while important to ensure advanced U.S. military technology does not fall into the hands of hostile actors, also slow international acquisition processes to a point that threatens U.S. deterrence strategy and, by extension, the international, rules-based order."