Rising demand for US weapons is "the new normal," a State official said, but cases involving human rights issues are getting more deliberation following new guidelines from the White House.
"Although the policy sharpened the focus on human rights in these many ways, it missed a unique opportunity to show its commitment to the defense industrial base at a time where more is being asked of it that any point since World War II," writes former State official Josh Kirshner.
Midsized companies can offer flexibility and agility while keeping intellectual property in the hands of the government.
Security sector governance “is incredibly important because, to me, security sector governance is the overlay for all of these issues,” Jessica Lewis, assistant secretary of state at the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, said at a Defense Writers Group breakfast.
The policy contains “explicit presumptions” that US national security is enhanced when human rights are better respected overseas.
In the coming weeks, the Biden administration is expected to release its newest version of the Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) policy, which will serve as a clear sign on how the administration will differentiate itself from the Trump administration on arms sales issues. In this op ed Josh Kirshner of Beacon Global Strategies lays out […]
"This is well beyond my pay grade now," said Brig. Gen. Brian Bruckbauer, director of the Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate.
On today’s battlefield, mobility isn’t optional - it’s mission-critical.
“The US is doing far more than its allies in coming to grips with causing civilian harm,” a human rights NGO representative who has met with Pentagon leaders said. Still, the gap between government estimates and those from groups on the ground is often wide.
The United States signed off on arms exports worth $192.3 billion over the past year, a full 13 percent increase from the previous year -- even as the Trump administration keeps pushing hard to sell more weapons, more quickly, to more allies overseas.
A slate of poorly understood new tariff and sanctions rules are complicating the Trump Administration's own efforts to boost arms exports, even as sales of American-made weaponry blow past previous highs.
The new rules, which are still a work in progress, will allow for easier export of laser-designating drones, while shipping more and more weapons overseas to cut into Chinese and Russian sales.
Partnerships with outside industry are a cornerstone of the kingdom’s ambitious growth strategy.