Industry, DSCA pushing to give partners ‘clear answers’ on weapon sale holds

Industry, DSCA pushing to give partners ‘clear answers’ on weapon sale holds
Industry, DSCA pushing to give partners ‘clear answers’ on weapon sale holds

Partners are “looking for clear answers in a reasonable time,” DSCA Deputy Director Michael Miller told Breaking Defense.

US clears $2.4B deal with Japan for hundreds of Tomahawk missiles, systems

US clears $2.4B deal with Japan for hundreds of Tomahawk missiles, systems
US clears $2.4B deal with Japan for hundreds of Tomahawk missiles, systems

The announced potential sale to Tokyo comes days after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met military leaders in the Indo-Pacific.

Romania cleared to buy $2.5B worth of Abrams tanks

Romania cleared to buy $2.5B worth of Abrams tanks
Romania cleared to buy $2.5B worth of Abrams tanks

Romania hopes to buy 54 M1A2 SEPv3 Abrams Main Battle Tanks through the Foreign Military Sales process.

US clears $1.6B in missile sales for UK, Lithuania, Finland

US clears $1.6B in missile sales for UK, Lithuania, Finland
US clears $1.6B in missile sales for UK, Lithuania, Finland

The largest package announced today involves the UK buying 3,000 AGM-179A Joint Air-to-Ground missiles for an estimated $957.4 million.

Army conducting internal review on speeding up arms sales for partners and allies

Army conducting internal review on speeding up arms sales for partners and allies
Army conducting internal review on speeding up arms sales for partners and allies

Army undersecretary Gabe Camarillo on Tuesday declared 2024 the “year of Army security cooperation.”

Pentagon’s global train and equip projects plagued by delays, unreliable equipment: GAO

Pentagon’s global train and equip projects plagued by delays, unreliable equipment: GAO
Pentagon’s global train and equip projects plagued by delays, unreliable equipment: GAO

“The system functioned for approximately three months before becoming inoperative because of factors such as insufficient battery life, damage to ground wiring by local fauna, and sensor failures in extreme temperatures,” the GAO wrote about one $7.6 million project with a partner nation for a ground sensor system.

DOD ‘Tiger Team’ releases raft of reforms aimed at speeding foreign arms sales

DOD ‘Tiger Team’ releases raft of reforms aimed at speeding foreign arms sales
DOD ‘Tiger Team’ releases raft of reforms aimed at speeding foreign arms sales

“We’ve heard fairly regularly from partners and allies that FMS can be a pain point for them,” said Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Sasha Baker.

In ‘second win,’ SAIC nabs $889M contract for DCSA’s One IT

In ‘second win,’ SAIC nabs $889M contract for DCSA’s One IT
In ‘second win,’ SAIC nabs $889M contract for DCSA’s One IT

The company will provide a several IT modernization services to support DCSA’s One IT vision of a consolidated IT environment, company VP Vinnie DiFronzo told Breaking Defense.

For US, foreign arm sales boom amid Russian invasion, Chinese intimidation

For US, foreign arm sales boom amid Russian invasion, Chinese intimidation
For US, foreign arm sales boom amid Russian invasion, Chinese intimidation

Total US arms transfers for fiscal 2022 topped $50 billion, up nearly 50 percent from prior year.

Aussies stick with Black Hawks in 40-helo, $1.7B deal to replace Airbus Taipans

Aussies stick with Black Hawks in 40-helo, $1.7B deal to replace Airbus Taipans
Aussies stick with Black Hawks in 40-helo, $1.7B deal to replace Airbus Taipans

The decision to buy more Black Hawks was particularly interesting as the country is in the midst of a Defense Strategic Review assessing the full panoply of force structure and spending decisions.

US arms sales rebound back to $50B in fiscal 2022

US arms sales rebound back to $50B in fiscal 2022
US arms sales rebound back to $50B in fiscal 2022

“I would say that we have enjoyed a rebound in arm sales,” said Defense Security Cooperation Agency director James Hursch. “I think that there will over the next three years or so … be continuing increases. I’m not sure how steep the slope will be.”

Want more capable military partners? Empower and promote Foreign Area Officers.

Want more capable military partners? Empower and promote Foreign Area Officers.
Want more capable military partners? Empower and promote Foreign Area Officers.

“DoD is considering a plan to cut all but four general officer SDO-DATT positions around the world by the end of this year,” warns Jonathan Lord of CNAS.

DoD agency wants to put weapons monitors on the ground in Ukraine

DoD agency wants to put weapons monitors on the ground in Ukraine
DoD agency wants to put weapons monitors on the ground in Ukraine

“Once we have more people in country, we should be in a position to actually go do more physical validation [and] verification, going forward,” said Jed Royal, deputy director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

State Department clears $3B in weapons sales for Egypt, Australia, Netherlands

State Department clears $3B in weapons sales for Egypt, Australia, Netherlands
State Department clears $3B in weapons sales for Egypt, Australia, Netherlands

The three potential deals cover CH-47F Chinook Helicopters for Egypt, HIMARS Launchers for Australia, and AIM_9X missiles for the Dutch.