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FEDERALhearing transcript

Congressional Hearing on Foreign Military Sales Efficiency

Original title: [H.A.S.C. No. 114-122] U.S. INDUSTRY PERSPECTIVES ON THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE'S POLICIES, ROLES, AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR FOREIGN MILITARY SALES

January 1, 2017

Foreign Military SalesDepartment of DefenseDefense IndustryNational SecurityCongressional Oversight

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The Frame

What this does

The efficiency of the Foreign Military Sales program directly impacts the ability of U.S. allies to acquire defense equipment and affects the stability of the domestic .

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Defense Industrial Base

The speed and efficiency of the FMS program impact the ability of these companies to maintain employment and production capacity.

Foreign Allies

These nations rely on the FMS program to procure military equipment and services for their security needs.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2017.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The House Subcommittee on and Investigations held a hearing to examine how the Department of Defense manages the program. The committee heard from defense industry representatives regarding concerns that bureaucratic processes may be slowing down equipment sales to U.S. allies.

Key Facts

  • The hearing took place on May 11, 2016, in the Rayburn House Office Building.
  • This was the second of three planned oversight hearings regarding the Department of Defense's role in the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.
  • The subcommittee is investigating whether the current FMS process is efficient, effective, and timely.
  • Chairwoman Hartzler noted that some stakeholders believe the current FMS process is overly bureaucratic and slow.
  • The committee is concerned that a slow FMS process may cause foreign partners to seek military equipment from other nations.
  • A decline in the defense budget and a contraction of the defense industrial base were cited as factors increasing the importance of the FMS program.
  • The hearing sought input from defense industry associations on how Congress and the DOD can improve FMS execution.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program?
It is a government-to-government program that allows U.S. allies to purchase military equipment and services from the United States.
Why is Congress reviewing this program?
The subcommittee is concerned that the current process may be too slow or bureaucratic, potentially harming U.S. national security interests and the domestic defense industry.

Why It Matters

The efficiency of the Foreign Military Sales program directly impacts the ability of U.S. allies to acquire defense equipment and affects the stability of the domestic .

News Coverage

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Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Defense Industrial Contraction

The committee explicitly linked the decline of the defense budget and industrial base to the need for a more efficient FMS process.

Department of Defense

Connected Entities

personVicky Hartzler“Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations”Map →
personTom Davis“Senior Fellow, National Defense Industrial Association”Map →
organizationDepartment of Defense“Primary agency responsible for the FMS process”Map →
organizationDepartment of State“Agency responsible for the administration of the FMS program”Map →
personRemy Nathan“Vice President, International Affairs, Aerospace Industries Association”Map →
personJackie Speier“Ranking Member of the Subcommittee”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy20
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment5
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz10
    Current news / social attention level

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