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FOREIGN MILITARY SALES F
oreign military sales (FMS) are a different breed of defense program, existing at the nexus of foreign policy, international security, statecraft and international relations. Receipt of defense-
related materiel from the United States can significantly elevate the ability of a partner or allied nation to defend itself, secure its borders, protect its citizenry or defeat an enemy.
In short, the FMS program is a fundamental and pow- erful tool of U.S. foreign policy. Authorized by the Arms Export Control Act of 1976, FMS allows the U.S. military to sell defense articles and services to for- eign countries via a government-to-government sales agreement when the president finds that doing so will strengthen national security. FMS is also an important tool of security cooperation, aligning strategic priorities established by the White House, DOD or interagency organizations with the partner nations’ security and stability objectives. From a program management perspective, ensuring that FMS is a part of strategic planning can also assist in keeping the U.S. industrial base operational. In addition, it helps the United States retain the continuity of a knowledgeable workforce and reduce the burden on U.S. taxpayers of restarting cold production lines.
A variety of approaches and funding options support U.S. goals that involve the transfer of U.S. military property. Transfers occur within the framework of sales or donations, and funding might come from the cus- tomer nation’s treasury or from U.S. resources, directly or indirectly.
Tis special FMS section explores the impact that FMS can have on a country, and examines the nuts and bolts of how the FMS program works from the perspective of those who make FMS cases happen.
A fascinating example of how an FMS case can affect the security of a nation is in the first article in this section,
“Aiding Colombia’s Counterinsurgency Fight.” Colom- bia, long home to a seemingly intractable insurgency that contributed to the nation’s reputation for violence and the production of illicit drugs, has now become a vastly more peaceful place, and a lot of that can be attributed to FMS.
Te FMS process is hardly perfect. Te layers of over- sight, the difficult calls on what to sell to whom and when, can be cumbersome. Yet FMS provides significant positives for the military and for the nation, helping get rid of surpluses, obviating the need to destroy or moth- ball expensive equipment and keeping the industrial base warm. For the program executive offices (PEOs) and the project manager (PM) shops, each FMS case almost always brings surprises, according to an article on lessons learned in selling night vision devices. Tat’s because those offices don’t make the sales themselves— they are closely involved as the providers of materiel, but their primary mission is to support the Soldier. As the article on night vision devices makes clear, FMS is a team sport.
—Army AL&T, PEO Soldier, PM Soldier Sensors and Lasers and DASA(DE&C) staffs
ASC.ARMY.MIL
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FOREIGN MILITARY SALES
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