Defense industry

US Allies Call for More Transparent Foreign Military Sales

Defense companies and U.S. allies are calling for a faster and more transparent approval process for foreign military sales.

Total FMS rose from $51.9 billion in fiscal year 2022 to $80.9 billion in FY2023, a 55.9 percent rise year on year, Breaking Defense reported Friday.

Aerospace Industries Association CEO Eric Fanning suggested that modernization efforts focus on speed and efficiency regardless of whether the answer to an ally is yes or no.

He told Breaking Defense that customers struggle with an “opaque” process where they “do not know where something got held up.”

Michael Miller, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s deputy director and a past Potomac Officers Club event speaker, said in a recent interview that his organization is aware of the transparency issue. The DSCA, which manages the FMS process, is working to deliver a solution, he added.

According to Miller, his agency has deployed a range of financing options for FMS customers.

Meanwhile, the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed legislation earlier in February to expedite the FMS process.