BALANCING THE DAILY needs of diplomacy
against long-term U.S. foreign policy interests
can challenge top diplomats and policymakers.
DoD’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program
is one crucial tool in furthering national se-
curity and U.S. foreign policy objectives. This
intricate and well-orchestrated program con-
nects Congress, the State Department, DoD,
and captains of the U.S. defense industry with
a diverse array of nations worldwide, making
for an interesting mix of bedfellows.
Through FMS, DoD sells equip- 1960s, the program moved toward
ment, training, and services, gov- actual military sales. It also broadened
ernment-to-government, to other in scope during that period, as the
countries. U.S. defense technol- U.S. witnessed increased challenges
ogy fi rms sell military hardware, in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
software, and items in between to Today, the Defense Security Co-
America’s friends — and there are a operation Agency (DSCA) handles
tremendous number of nations that FMS — its fl agship among an array of
make the cut. Weapons, vehicles, other security cooperation programs it
ships, and aircraft all are up for grabs. shepherds. These include foreign mil-
Satellite-guided bomb kits? They’re itary fi nancing, international military
for sale, too. The FMS program is ef- education and training, the “excess
fective — and controversial. defense articles” program, and various
humanitarian assistance programs.
From the roots of the Security assistance programs like
Cold War FMS help to build relationships that
FMS and a group of programs bundled promote specifi c U.S. interests; build
under “security assistance” are rooted capabilities for self-defense and coali-
in the Truman Doctrine of 1947, when tion operations of allied and friendly
such military assistance aimed to nations; and, of particular interest on
contain communism. Initially it was the defense front, help provide U.S.
more of a grant program, but in the forces with peacetime as well as con-
7 0 M I L I T A R Y O F F I C E R M AY 2 0 0 8
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