Pentagon preparing to amp up foreign arm sales, compete with China

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
14 Apr 2023 19:24

A department spokesperson says that the challenge is to expand industrial capacity, but the State Department can do its part to ensure the process runs smoothly.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in 2022 at a press conference (AFP)

According to Politico, measures are being prepared by the Pentagon and the US State Department in an effort to accelerate selling weapons to foreign countries.

A Pentagon spokesperson, cited by Politico, stated that over 80 internal recommendations from a task force speeding up the sale process are being considered by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and some of these recommendations have already reached the level of possible implementation by the Pentagon policy chief.

The aim of the efforts is to compete with China and replace weapons sent to Ukraine as Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also due to receive recommendations from the US State Department on ways to improve the sale process.

A department spokesperson added that the challenge is to expand industrial capacity, but the State Department can do its part to ensure the process runs smoothly.

This update comes following comments from US Senator Roger Wicker calling on foreign military sales procedural reform. He expressed that the US has been taking its sweet time to deliver necessary weapons to allies.

He added that one reason for the reform was a $19 billion logjam of arms from the US for Taiwan.

The US has been scurrying to get its cards right as it faces foreign competition both militarily and politically.

CIA Director William Burns stated on Thursday that the US no longer has the ability to guarantee its role as the dominant global hegemon as the country has been witnessing critical juncture change "that comes along a couple of times a century."

The CIA chief explained that despite the fact that Washington "still has a better hand to play than any of our rivals," it is "no longer the only big kid on the geopolitical block and our position at the head of the table isn’t guaranteed."

The US is also facing more fear after Saudi conglomerate Ajlan & Bros's defense firm, Scopa Industries, which was aimed at US interests, shifted more towards Russian and Chinese direction.

According to Intelligence Online, the US branch of Scopa Industries, which intended to build foreign military materiel on Saudi soil, shut down on February 26.

Even the US arms manufacturing giant, Lockheed Martin, announced last month that it is unable to produce more than 10,000 Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GLMRS) despite the increase of demand by some countries that want to replenish.

At full capacity, the American arms company is able to produce 10,000 GLMRS annually and would need more machinery, skilled labor, and testing hardware to increase that capacity, according to the chief of business development at Lockheed Martin, Becky Withrow.