Photo By Staff Sgt. Samuel Kim | Defense leaders and acquisition experts participate in the “FMS at the Speed of War:...... read more read more
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Industry experts and defense officials called for reforms to the Foreign Military Sales process to prepare NATO allies and partners before conflicts begin. The LANDEURO discussion held in Wiesbaden, Germany on July 17, emphasized improving cooperation, faster delivery, and ensuring equipment is interoperable for strengthened worldwide security.
The panel “FMS at the Speed of War – Reforming Foreign Military Sales for Global Readiness” was moderated by U.S. Army (Ret.) Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, managing director, Cypress International. Panelists were U.S. Army Maj. Gen John Rafferty, incoming chief of staff, U.S. European Command; Polish Armed Forces Maj. Gen. Cezary Wisniewski, deputy general commander; and Christopher Brown, vice president, Global Strategy and International Business development General Dynamics Land Systems.
Fuller set the stage by presenting his analysis, derived from Department of State and NATO, related to foreign military sales and procurement of defense. He compared the U.S. to the rest of NATO, where U.S. numbers more than double the combined amount of the other 31 NATO, countries at 754 billion dollars.
Looking more closely at the U.S., in 2024, FMS went up 33% and two-thirds those sales were Direct Commercial Sales (DCS). Fuller further described U.S. expenditure, noting a significant portion allocated to Ukraine assistance and bolstering the U.S. industrial base.
After outlining the fiscal landscape, Fuller moved on to the topic of speed and scale, referencing Russia’s increased ammunition production since 2022; from 20,000 rounds a month to 210,000 rounds a month.
Armed with this context, the panelists were prepared to discuss FMS challenges related to maintenance, cost, delivery, systems, and expectations.
Initially explained by keynote speaker, U.S. Army Europe and Africa’s Commanding General, Gen. Christopher Donahue, the Eastern Flank Deterrence Line is a collaborative, proactive plan by the U.S. Army and NATO allies to bolster ground-based defenses along the eastern border and deter Russian aggression
Maj. Gen. Rafferty pointed out two efforts the EFDL may depend on when it comes to FMS: trust and capability.
“We really need our industry partners to deliver,” said Rafferty. “We’re going to have to generate a lot of trust, both in how we fight but also in how we develop the capability as an alliance and as a team of an alliance with industry partners in order to realize that important capability.”
On top of that, Donahue addressed the requirements to industries in foreign military sales, “it has to be interoperable.”
Rafferty emphasized that the key to success in a long land conflict is having weapons systems that can remain relevant and effective over time. He referenced the conflict in Ukraine, where the most successful weapons, including drones, are those that can be quickly adapted to changing circumstances. Building this adaptability into systems from the start requires close cooperation between the military and industry
“The ones that are doing the best are the ones that have a lot of commonality,” said Rafferty.
Panelists described the FMS processes as complex, inundated with bureaucracy, regulations and time, things that aren’t available in conflict. Rafferty provided a bureaucratic solution to abbreviate the processes that take place currently.
“It’s an entirely logical process with really qualified people in it, but not every step is required in the sequence,” said Rafferty .
Brown explained how the complexity of FMS can be frustrating by the system itself, but explained a strategy to simplify that process and that starts with events like LANDEURO. He related the event to a reunion where countries compare notes that offer areas where their defense can improve. Then comes the development of the following processes: designed for exportability, releasability and the inclusion of combatant commands.
Both FMS and DCS were advocated by speakers as important methods of procurement but certain considerations should be carefully looked at when entering into a FMS agreement for long-term capabilities. Key considerations include assessing whether they can sustain the system throughout its lifecycle, ensuring compatibility with their existing military infrastructure and equipment, and focusing on systems that align with their existing maintenance expertise.
“It’s really about the right tool for the right job.” Said Brown.
DCS was described as the more expeditious option when speed is critical and there is a demand for competitive procurement. While, FMS was known as the “total package approach,” by Wisniewski, who explained the values that come with the investment such as training, maintenance and ongoing support.
“We fully understand the lifecycle cost and how to address this challenge in the future,” said Wisniewski. “That’s why we always talk with the U.S. services about this and how they handle the sustainment and maintenance.”
Speaking for the industry, Brown encourages countries to make orders and articulate within those orders such as NATO requirements and the date expected for that capability to be fully operational and specifications like this may overtly drive partners into DCS.
Brown emphasized the importance of concrete orders when countries are working with defense industry partners, simply stating, “industry responds to orders.”
As the world becomes more unpredictable, NATO allies and partners understand the need to be ready before a conflict. Speeding up the sales process, working better together, and validating the cooperation between countries runs smoothly is the end state to help prevent threats and keep global peace and security.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.18.2025 08:12 |
| Story ID: | 543169 |
| Location: | DE |
| Web Views: | 28 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Interoperability and speed: The future of defense procurement and Foreign Military Sales, by Natalie Weaver, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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