TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In response to the growing demand for American military equipment, the U.S. Department of Defense has proposed a set of recommendations aimed at streamlining its Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program on Tuesday (June 14).
Central to this set of recommendations is addressing the issue of a faster and more efficient FMS system, a key concern given the urgency to arm Ukraine to defend against the Russian invasion and Taiwan to counter China's recent military escalations in the Pacific region.
U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized six main FMS issues identified by a special "Tiger Team." These include enhancing understanding of partner requirements, enabling efficient reviews of technology releases, bolstering allies and partners with relevant priority capabilities, expediting acquisition and contracting support, expanding defense industrial base capacity, and ensuring broard U.S. government support.
With regards to enhancing understanding of partner requirements, it is also recommended that the Pentagon change the way it organizes, trains, and prepares for security cooperation, including by setting up a Defense Security Cooperation Service to ensure personnel are equipped to engage with allies and partners.
The State Department last month also released a roadmap for FMS reforms. These include a new approach to strategic planning, improvements in FMS adjudication, as well as forward-looking support for FMS implementation and future cases.