A report by RAND suggested that the United States adopt a framework systematically prioritizing NATO members’ foreign military sale cases to align with defense security goals in Europe.
Apart from taking on the proposed framework, the report made additional recommendations to the United States Army Europe and Africa to improve regional security, including:
- Ensuring USAREUR-AF maintains leadership in securing its areas of responsibility,
- Creating a systematic process for the design of proposed procurement programs,
- Leveraging the experience of the U.S. Army in mentoring FMS partners,
- Establishing a fast-track option for select allies,
- Coordinating across Army service component commands and with U.S. Europe Command to ensure land capabilities from FMS are interoperable in all domains, and
- Working with the joint community to consolidate all security cooperation resources supporting partner capability development.
The recommendation comes after the authors found a steep learning curve experienced by new partners when taking advantage of FMS-sourced solutions. This finding significantly differs from partners with low to moderate FMS experience, who tend to realize returns from their investments quickly.
RAND carried out the research amid growing conflicts and threats across the globe, including the Russian incursion in Ukraine and the tension between China and Taiwan.
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