WASHINGTON \u2014 Pentagon leaders working to revamp the U.S. process of selling arms around the globe are balancing the need to quickly close deals with that of protecting secrets about weapons\u2019 inner workings, a senior official said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The push to flush more American weaponry into the world market follows an increased appetite by governments to up-arm, Jed Royal, deputy director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, said at the Defense News Conference on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin\u2019s establishment of a \u201cTiger Team,\u201d or task force, for streamlining the Foreign Military Sales mechanic \u2014 a rulebook for selling U.S. weapons abroad that includes congressional approval for each case \u2014 was meant to harness the speed and urgency of U.S. efforts to equip Ukraine, according to Pentagon policy chief Colin Kahl. Kahl called it one of Austin\u2019s top priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur process is too slow,\u201d Kahl said separately at the conference. \u201cOne of the things that I think we\u2019ve demonstrated with Ukraine is that when we really lean in, we can defy the laws of bureaucratic physics. I mean, if you had told me eight months ago that we would have delivered nearly $13 billion of security assistance to Ukraine, I would have told you that\u2019s crazy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kahl stressed the comparison between Ukraine aid and foreign military sales is not perfect because the U.S. is drawing much of the materiel for Kyiv from existing Pentagon stockpiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chief Pentagon spokesman Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder confirmed the move on Sept. 6, saying the analysis was \u201cexploring a wide range of immediate and systemic areas for reform of Department of Defense processes, platforms and regional perspectives to improve our ability to work with allies and partners.\u201d The effort was first reported last week by the Wall Street Journal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ryder said the initiative is not aimed at a particular region, but Pentagon acquisitions chief Bill LaPlante, one of the Tiger Team\u2019s key figures, told conference attendees the effort is focused on Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Pentagon has long supported the island nation, which China claims as its own, with weapons to defend itself should Beijing decide to invade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Tiger Team was formed in August, in response to requests from U.S. combatant commanders and ambassadors, to evaluate the process of executing Foreign Military Sales cases from end to end. It\u2019s co-led by Kahl\u2019s policy office and LaPlante\u2019s acquisition and sustainment office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Herndon, the team \u201cmay look at how to conduct better predictive analysis and strategic forecasting of partner demands to provide a more robust signal to industry; or examine ways to evaluate and expand the use of existing data and metrics to measure performance of the FMS case life cycles; or review case development, contracting and acquisition timelines to determine areas for process and policy improvements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While much of the FMS revamp is still playing out behind closed doors, Royal said one of the sticking points has been finding ways to inject tech protection considerations into the process without holding things up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur allies and partners are demanding increasingly sophisticated equipment \u2014 and they should. We need to make sure that U.S. technology that needs to be protected is protected through that process,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whereas such evaluations now typically happen midway through a sales case, beginning them sooner could move the whole process along faster, Royal said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n