Strengthening Allied Defense
Cooperation
Strengthening the Allied Industrial Base requires targeted
legislative and policy updates to allow the U.S. to leverage
international expertise, lower costs, increase warfighter
capability and production capacity, and streamline
cooperation with allies. Key areas include improving DoD
acquisition workforce and contractor information sharing
with allied industries and refining regulatory frameworks to
speed bi-directional allied defense trade.
A Broader, Stronger Supply Chain
A robust, diverse supply chain is an essential part of a healthy defense technology
ecosystem. Supply chains with significant gaps or excessive sole-source situations
are fragile and drive cost increases and schedule delays in acquisition programs.
Supply chains can break or weaken in several ways, including Diminishing
Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) as well as corruption,
counterfeiting, and intellectual property theft. Strengthening the DoD’s supply
chain involves not only expanding domestic production capacity but also building
collaborative partnerships with the defense industrial base of our allies and partner
countries. A more diverse set of suppliers creates a more resilient ecosystem,
increases production capacity, leverages innovation, reduces delays, and mitigates
the risk of too many eggs in a single basket.
Enhancing DoD Acquisition Workforce Partnerships
A primary bottleneck in allied industrial integration is the DoD acquisition workforce’s
limited visibility into allied investments, capabilities, and gaps. Without structured
engagement, acquisition professionals operate in silos, missing opportunities for
interoperability and co-development. Policy updates should mandate systematic
inclusion of allied capability assessments in acquisition planning and require
workforce participation in structured knowledge-sharing platforms. Increasing
awareness of – and access to – shared production capacity ensures the DoD can
draw from a diverse set of suppliers who bring a wider range of capabilities to the
table. Similarly, increasing mutual access to the American industrial base ensures
allies and partners can contribute meaningfully to coalition activities, both financially
and operationally. In combination, this sets the table for meaningful innovation
Key Questions
How can industry
from allies and
partners strengthen
the defense supply
chain and overall
defense posture?
How can the defense
acquisition workforce
increase cooperation
among allies and
partners?
How can policy
and regulations
be streamlined to
leverage the combined
strengths, capabilities,
and investments of
American and allied
industry?
