On July 13, 2018 the Secretary of State submitted the Implementation Plan requested as part of the Conventional Arms Transfer (CAT) Policy (NSPM-10). In line with the U.S. National Security Strategy, these documents lay out a whole-of-government strategy to better align our conventional arms transfers with our national security and economic interests.
In developing this Implementation Plan, and in order to ensure that it fully addresses the real-world challenges we face, the Administration collected inputs from Congress, U.S. industry, and the non-governmental community. We are grateful for their cooperation in this process.
The plan is based on three lines of effort:
- Prioritizing strategic competition
- Organizing for success
- Creating conducive environments
The tasks we will undertake in this implementation plan include:
- Working with partners and allies to identify critical capability requirements and energizing a whole-of-government effort to expedite transfers that support these essential foreign policy and national security objectives;
- Improving our ability to compete with adversaries by providing allies and partners with alternatives to foreign defense articles in order to maintain U.S. influence in key regions;
- Increasing the competiveness of U.S.-made systems, including by working with industry to build exportability into design and development, expanding support for non-Program of Record systems, and by incentivizing increased production capacity and timely delivery;
- Continuing to update the policy and regulatory framework that underlies our arms transfers including revising outdated policies, updating regulatory frameworks such as the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and working with partners to modernize multilateral regimes;
- Expanding and enhancing U.S. Government advocacy and trade promotion in support of our defense industry, and exploring mechanisms to reduce financial barriers to the procurement of American defense goods and services;
- Working with partners to ensure that barriers to U.S. entry are reduced, and that policies such as offset requirements do not imperil American jobs or reduce our technological edge; and,
- Continuing to improve our arms transfer processes including by establishing milestones and timelines and improving the contracting and procurement processes that underpin the systems.
For further information, please contact the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, Office of Congressional and Public Affairs at PM-CPA@state.gov, and follow the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs on Twitter, @StateDeptPM .