The war in Ukraine has inspired U.S. Army Undersecretary Gabe Camarillo to review how the service processes Foreign Military Sales.
Speaking at an Association of the U.S. Army conference panel, the official declared 2024 as the “year of Army security cooperation” and shared plans to speed up arms sales to allies.
He said security cooperation involving the building of partner capacity, maintaining and strengthening alliances, and establishing an industrial base capable of meeting demand globally is critical to national defense.
Camarillo added that his office’s review of the FMS is tied with Tiger Team, a similar effort Deputy Defense Secretary Kath Hicks launched in 2022 to accelerate the process of arming partners and allies against adversaries.
James Hursch, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, said during the panel that Hicks’ initiative identified 90 different areas of FMS that can be improved.
The DCSA, together with the Department of State, largely oversees FMS. However, Camarillo expects FMS deals involving the U.S. Army to grow as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.