R. Clarke Cooper
Securing a meaningful defense topline for FY‑2027 is not an act of militarism; it is an act of prudence. The strategic environment is more dangerous and more interconnected than most Americans appreciate. Credible deterrence requires ready forces, modern capabilities and an industrial base that can surge. President Trump’s anticipated budget request of $1.5 trillion alone will not deliver security. To turn dollars into durable deterrence, the White House and Congress must continue to move in parallel to reform Foreign Military Sales (FMS), harden supply chains for critical technologies, and accelerate onshoring of advanced manufacturing—while using the budget to catalyze allied burden‑sharing and interoperability.
Deterrence is arithmetic. It demands platforms, munitions, sensors, and the logistics to sustain them. It also demands speed: partners must be able to field interoperable systems quickly when crises arise. Our principal Cold War legacy tool for equipping allies and partners, the FMS process, has often functioned like a paper mill rather than a strategic instrument. Lengthy case processing, opaque timelines, and fragmented authorities risk push U.S. partners toward alternative suppliers and slow coalition readiness. The Trump administration could issue time‑bound directives to shorten FMS case processing and expand delegated authorities to expedite routine transfers. Congress could codify predictable timelines for licensing decisions and provide resources to modernize case management. Faster, more predictable FMS will let allies and partners confidently buy U.S. systems with the “total package approach” my former colleagues and I advocated, as well as make coalition logistics simpler and cheaper.
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