The Pentagon has undertaken a broad drive to speed up U.S. arms sales to foreign allies to compete with China and restock the arsenals of friendly states that sent military material to Ukraine.
Last month, the Pentagon put together a group of high-level officials to look into long-standing problems with how the US sells billions of dollars worth of weapons to other countries.
According to a senior defense official, the so-called "tiger team" will examine ways for the Defense Department to streamline specific aspects of the program with the goal of more quickly getting highly desired American drones, weapons, helicopters, tanks, and other equipment into the hands of partners and allies.
The review, which started inside the Pentagon about a month ago, has become more urgent in light of rising tensions with China and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to officials, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal.
Most of the foreign arms sales program is carried out by the Pentagon, but the State Department supervises it and utilizes the $45 billion in yearly weapons sales as an instrument for foreign policy to expand US influence.
Congress eventually approves all foreign military purchases.
Who Are Included in the Tiger Team?
In August, Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks signed a memorandum establishing the committee, which is co-chaired by Sasha Baker, the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, and Bill LaPlante, the undersecretary for acquisition and sustainment.
The team also consists of other Pentagon officials and representatives from each military.
The defense source said that US personnel who engage with nations on initial requests for additional drones may be educated to assist other nations in better drafting such letters, removing obstacles that arise because the first request was too broad or raised other security issues.
The senior defense official remarked: "It's about the mechanical steps in the process. How can we do a better job of bringing inefficiencies out of the system that will apply to all of the countries that we work with?"
Additionally, because the Pentagon only approves contracts for some systems once a year, late orders are put on hold until the next cycle, according to the officials.
The Pentagon-driven evaluation receives feedback from the State Department, which ultimately has control over international weapons sales.
Legislators, business leaders, and government representatives have long criticized the foreign military sales program for being risk-averse and slow.
A sale might be delayed for years by worries about selling a piece of sensitive technology.
Because of the sluggish pace, some nations may question if the United States truly wants them as allies and there is a chance that it may send nations with which it wishes to maintain strong ties abroad to buy weapons.
China Catching Up in the Weapons Race
Officials in Washington claim they must strengthen their ties with China to win a global race that is frequently judged by who can sell the greatest, most advanced military equipment the quickest and for the lowest price.
A study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank located in Washington, found that between 2010 and 2020, China shipped conventional weapons worth roughly $17 billion, with more than 77% of that sum going to Asian countries and nearly 20% to Africa, as reported by Eurasian Times.
In the race to equip friendly states throughout the world, China is attempting to counter America's competitive edge by creating high-tech weaponry at a lower price.
Pricing and production capacity are important selling points for Chinese weaponry to foreign purchasers.
For instance, Chinese arms sales to Middle Eastern nations may both provide them with a cost-effective method to increase their arsenals while also assisting them in becoming less politically dependent on the US and Europe.
China provided Pakistan with Chengdu J-10C fighter jets and Serbia with its export-version HQ-22 air defense missile system in two key transactions this year.
Beijing denounced Washington's authorization of a prospective USD 1.1 billion transfer of military equipment to Taiwan on Saturday, claiming that the action puts China's relations with the United States in danger and pledging to retaliate.
On Friday, the Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency unveiled the biggest package in over two years, including radar equipment and missiles, per Asia News Network.
Congress will need to approve it, but given the strong backing Taiwan has from both parties, this is essentially guaranteed.
