"Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin approved a tasking memo from the Department of Defense (DoD) Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Tiger Team that highlights six key FMS pressure points and directs implementation of recommendations to improve and accelerate the Department’s institutional processes to execute FMS cases," the statement said.
The recommendations the DoD agreed to implement include improving the department’s understanding of ally and partner requirements, enabling efficient reviews for release of technology and providing allies and partner nations relevant priority capabilities. Other measures will be geared toward accelerating acquisition and contracting support, expanding Defense Industrial Base (DIB) capacity and ensuring broad US government support.
In the first instance, the DoD is looking for accelerated discussions with friendly nations on military sales requirements and the establishment of a Defense Security Cooperation Service to work with Defense Attache Service.
Seeking to reduce barriers, the DoD also intends to review and update relevant tech export policies for allies. The department will also establish contract award standards and metrics in a bid to bolster acquisition and contracting.
Additionally, the DoD seeks to reduce production timelines notably by incorporating partner requirements, multi-year contracts and enhanced use of the Special Defense Acquisition Fund, the statement continued.
The DoD will also work with the Department of State, Congress, and other stakeholders to identify opportunities for improvements in foreign military sales processes, the statement said.
Made of senior military officials, the Tiger Team task force was established by the Pentagon in August 2022. Its goal is to examine the inefficiencies of US weapons sales to friendly nations and speed up the processes amid heightened tensions in the world, notably with Russia and China.