WASHINGTON\u00a0\u2014 As operations in Yemen and Syria continue to deplete military arsenals from Gulf Cooperation Council nations, those countries have publicly campaigned to speed up the US Foreign Military Sales (FMS) system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is downplaying concerns, instead describing the push as part of the back-and-forth haggling process from nations looking to speed along the FMS process and\u00a0lower the price on US goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The committee’s ranking Democrat, Sen. Ben Cardin, of Maryland, said that <\/span>the process “runs into friction, at times,” but said <\/span>that overall it has “accomplished some good things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I know there are some countries that get anxious, but normally the reasons for the delays are understandable, and there are checks and balances \u2014 and ways to move things forward if they have to,” Cardin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite reports that restrictive US policies are driving sales to competing nations’ gear, Cardin expressed confidence in the US. He and <\/span>said foreign buyers and US contractors use these stories to prod the government to approve sales.\u00a0as a prod.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n “You hear that all the time, but to be perfectly blunt about it, our equipment is better, the relationship with America is better, our training is better, everything is better about ours,” Cardin said. “They want our equipment, they want our cooperation. I think they use that argument to leverage and move us forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n