THE REQUIREMENTS QUESTION
REFURBISH AND REUSE A disassembled M88A1 recovery vehicle is painted at Anniston Army Depot, AL, where 10 vehicles are being refurbished to their original condition before shipment to the Jordanian Armed Forces. Work on this particular FMS case, signed in 2013, began in 2014, with 12 vehicles shipped to Jordan in as-is condition and an additional 10 refurbished. The final vehicle was delivered in April.
the process, and one of the other services may initiate another test case.
CONCLUSION Partner nations rely on the FMS process to provide immediate solutions to their needs for defense capabilities. Experi- ence has shown us that the best FMS solutions involve a full package of equip- ment, training, maintenance, spare parts, organizational readiness and continuing logistic support. Well-defined require- ments are essential to provide these military capabilities successfully; part- ner nations who know what they need and what it will cost them can make purchases that will serve the intended purpose, and will obtain the best product at the lowest cost.
For those using the FMS system, the importance of a well-written and com- prehensive LOR cannot be overstated. Te Army security assistance
nity stands ready to help partner nations determine capability shortfalls and define requirements using survey teams, ERGTs and, possibly in the future, transparency projects.
FMS and the entire security assistance enterprise fill a necessary function for countries without a mature acquisition organization to obtain products and services that will meet their national
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security needs. However, partner nation defense organizations may also be look- ing for avenues to initiate or enhance relationships with key manufacturers and vendors outside of FMS. While this is appropriate and may cost less, lower costs may be the result of incomplete training, maintenance, organizational readiness or continued support guarantees. For this reason, DSCA and the services are contin- ually trying to improve the FMS process to reduce costs and shorten timelines.
commu-
One challenge facing the FMS enterprise is sequestration, which imposed restric- tions on DOD’s budget and reduced the effectiveness of FMS program offices. Limitations on staff, travel, purchases and contracting hindered the FMS mission and created challenges that min- imized the benefits of the FMS process to partner nations. Te FMS enterprise was hampered in its ability to provide total package benefits and oversight of the original equipment manufactur- ers (OEMs) and vendors for the partner nation, even though the partner nation was paying the bill for such services. Efforts are being made to uncouple FMS- funded activities from those paid for by U.S. taxpayers, so as to minimize this type of disruption in the future.
Delays in establishing or amending an FMS case often can hurt the OEM’s
bottom line by forcing it to adjust delivery timelines in response to con- tracting delays. With the downsizing of the U.S. military and the decrease in defense spending, manufacturers such as Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing Co., Raytheon Co., United Technologies Corp. and others are significantly increas- ing their direct marketing to foreign buyers. In the future, larger, platform- level systems are likely to be acquired by partner nations through direct commer- cial sales as well as through FMS cases.
For more information, see the Letter of Request Guide at https://www.dsca. mil/2014-foreign-customer-guide/ appendix-1-letter-request-lor-guide and the Security Assistance Management Manual (Chapter 5) at
http://www.samm.
dsca.mil/chapter/chapter-5; or contact Floyd Baker, DASA(DE&C), at 703-545- 4715 or
homer.f.baker.civ@
mail.mil.
MR. CHARLES MEIXNER was until recently a security assistance specialist in the Policy, Strategy and Resources Directorate of DASA(DE&C). A retired Navy officer with an engineering background, Meixner has 25 years’ experience in international affairs and security cooperation with the Air Force and the Army. He holds an M.S. in information systems from Strayer Uni- versity and a B.S. in industrial studies from Moorhead State University.
Army AL&T Magazine October-December 2015
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