New Congressional Task Force to Probe FMS Modernization
Lawmakers this week launched a bipartisan task force to help modernize the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. Reps. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., and Seth Moulton, D-Mass., will lead the FMS Technical, Industrial and Governmental Engagement for Readiness Task Force, which will convene experts from industry and the State and Defense departments, as well as others, to conduct oversight of the FMS process.
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The announcement of the task force, which will hold “regular briefings and issue recommendations to committee leadership for legislative consideration,” comes following the Pentagon's release earlier this month of a new set of recommendations designed to speed up military goods exports under the FMS program (see 2306200012). House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas, said the task force will help ensure the U.S. is sending military systems to allies “as quickly as possible.” McCaul and other lawmakers have criticized the Biden administration for what they say have been delays in arm sales to Taiwan (see 2302210012).
Delays have "plagued" the U.S. foreign military sales process for “years,” Waltz said, adding that the task force will examine “why many of these shipments have been delayed or have seen increased costs.” Moulton said the group will look at “where Congress needs to cut bureaucratic red tape and where industry needs to invest in addressing bottlenecks.”