Foreign Military Sales: Process and Policy

American military technology and manufacturing are the best in the world. For the last seventy years, the sale of American equipment to partner nations has formed the foundation of many U.S. security relationships. Foreign military sales (FMS) represent a key tool in the American foreign policy that provides needed security assistance to partners and allies around the world. The sale of U.S. hardware bolsters the American industrial base. It creates thousands of high-paying, high skill jobs while reducing the cost of innovative technologies that keep the U.S. and its allies one step ahead of our enemies. They enable our allies to defend themselves and help forge strong bilateral bonds with the U.S. In 2016 alone, the U.S. sold $33.6 billion in military equipment and training packages. The FMS process, however, can be slow and complex, leaving partner nations and American industry frustrated. The FMS process is administered by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency and guided by the State Department. Congress has oversight of this crucial and sensitive program. This provides effective and transparent check on this key tool of U.S. foreign policy. Foreign military sales provide others countries with deadly weapons of war. The U.S. has negotiatied billions in FMS deals with Saudi Arabia, a partner in the war against the Islamic State and other radical groups in the Middle East. The U.S. must ensure that the countries to which it sells high-quality military equipment share our interests and values.