Korean Defense Industry: Threat or Ally?
Abstract
A newspaper editorial during the 1990 congressional debate surrounding the U.S. Government's decision to authorize licensed production of F/A-18 aircraft in the Republic of Korea's Korean Fighter Program quoted Senator Alan Dixon (D-Ill), who said the program was a "sucker deal" and "a first step toward once again surrendering U.S. technology and expertise to be used against us." The editorial went on to argue that there was a danger that U.S. technology transferred in such programs would be "used to arm potential adversaries 5 or 10 years down the road." In view of Korea's growing industrial strength, the rapidly changing economic and security environments in Asia, and the maturing of the U.S.-Korean security relationship, it is time to reconsider U.S. policy and develop a new framework for defense industrial cooperation with Korea. While Senator Dixon eventually dropped his opposition and the Korean Fighter Program is now getting underway (albeit with a different aircraft), the issues of technology transfer and industrial offsets remain a source of friction in the security relationship between the United States and Korea. Defense industrial cooperation between the two countries constitutes a relatively small portion of the bilateral trade, but such cooperation operates at a unique nexus in the overall bilateral relationship: it touches, at the same time, economic, trade, political, and military concerns. Consequently, conflicts in defense industrial cooperation have the potential to disrupt cooperation in other important areas. Does transfer of defense technology to Korea constitute an economic or security threat to the United States? Are there benefits to be derived from such transfers? The author suggests that the United States has a lot to lose by unduly restricting technology transfer to Korea, and a lot to gain by increasing defense industrial cooperation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 22, 1994
- Accession Number
- ADA440567
Entities
People
- Bruce C. Bade
Organizations
- National War College