Security Assistance and National Security in the Global Economy

Abstract

Reform within the defense industry and the Department of Defense will be necessary to combat future defense challenges. The challenges facing national defense and the defense industrial complex cannot entirely be solved through Foreign Military Sales (FMS), however, defense exports will continue to be a major player in ensuring that the United States retains the skills and facilities to research and produce advanced weapons that are necessary to the nation's defense. FMS will enable vital defense lines of production, such as the M1 Abrams and F-15 Eagle, to remain open. In doing so, vital skilled defense workers will be retained and facilities will remain open and sustain the ability for additional production as unforeseen needs arise. Furthermore, in maintaining production facilities, FMS fuels local economies by providing thousands of jobs and associated consumer markets. Also, when FMS purchases are procured alongside U.S. defense purchases of the same weapons system, the U.S. military benefits from a reduction in price per unit resulting from volume purchases. FMS, when conducted responsibly, serve the best interests of the United States. Without defense exports, the United States would be forced to close production facilities of key defense systems, which would negatively impact both readiness and the economy. Local economies would be devastated in many cases by the closure of key defense production lines, the United States would lose its leadership position in key industries, such as aviation, and the Department of Defense would lose key weapon systems vital to the force structure. The national security of the United States would suffer both economically and militarily without the prudent conduct of foreign military sales arms transfers.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1999
Accession Number
ADA496569

Entities

People

  • Christopher F. Akins

Organizations

  • Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Biomedical
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerospace Industry
  • Cold War
  • Defense Industry
  • Defense Systems
  • Department Of Defense
  • Fighter Aircraft
  • Foreign Military Sales
  • Foreign Policy
  • Governments
  • Military Aircraft
  • Military Training
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • United States
  • United States Naval Academy
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Industrial Economics
  • Logistics and Supply Chain Management.
  • Strategic Security Studies