Americas

US State Department, Pentagon Preparing Pathway to Hasten Foreign Weapons Sales, Media Reports

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US State Department and Pentagon are preparing measures to help hasten the process of selling weapons to foreign countries, American news outlet reported on Friday.
Sputnik
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is considering more than 80 internal recommendations from a team tasked with speeding up the Pentagon’s foreign military sales process, the report said, citing a Pentagon spokesman.
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Several of the recommendations from the team are at the level of the Pentagon policy chief for possible implementation, the spokesman reportedly said.
The Pentagon’s aim is to replace weapons sent by the United States to Ukraine and better compete with China, the report said.
The US State Department is also working on delivering recommendations to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on how to improve its own foreign weapons sale process, the report said.
The US’ challenge is ultimately industrial capacity, but there are steps the State Department can take on its end to streamline the process, a department spokesperson reportedly said.
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The recommendations come following calls from US Senator Roger Wicker last month to reform the US’ foreign military sales process. It takes the US too long to deliver crucial weapons to allies, Wicker said.
Wicker pointed to a $19 billion backlog of US arms for Taiwan as one reason for the reform.
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