WASHINGTON — Acknowledging criticism of the US foreign military sales (FMS) program, the draft version of the House Armed Services Committee's 2017 defense policy bill orders the Government Accountability Office to review both the FMS and the foreign military financing program to find efficiencies.
"The committee believes that an efficient, thorough, and effective Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process is vital to U.S. foreign policy and national security, and contributes to the health of the U.S. defense industrial base," the bill reads. "The committee is aware of concerns raised by U.S. military leaders, the defense industry, and foreign partners that the FMS process is slow, cumbersome, and complicated."
The GAO would assess the DoD's performance metrics and why they are not met and a comparison of FMS and other procurement processes, such as direct commercial sales to foreign nations.
Though congressional sources and analysts agree that there simply isn't enough interest to push through meaningful reforms in the next nine months on the FMS issue, given both its complexity and global sensitivities to weapon sales, such a study could tee up future action.
The measure is among several in an early draft of the massive 2017 NDAA, which would boost congressional oversight of the Pentagon's broad and costly array of foreign military sales and defense cooperation activities.
Language in this first public version of the 2017 NDAA would, if passed, acknowledge efforts to improve the FMS program, but calls for a Pentagon briefing to lawmakers by Sept. 30 on the results of streamlining efforts.
"The committee remains concerned, however, that inefficiencies may exist in internal Department of Defense processes that cause suboptimal outcomes such as delays," the bill says.
Language in the bill would also order an independent assessment of the Defense Department’s strategic framework for security cooperation. It would be due in Congress by Nov. 1, 2017, with an initial briefing by March 1, 2017.
If passed, the bill would authorize $680 million in assistance for Iraqi, Kurdish and Sunni forces in the fight against the Islamic State group. Appropriators devise a separate spending bill that would actually allocate such funds.
The policy bill restricts a chunk of the funding for the Iraq Train and Equip Fund until Congress receives plans to retake and hold Mosul, Iraq. The defense secretary would also have to brief Congress on the extent of the Iraqi government's inclusion of ethnic and sectarian minorities.
More broadly, the bill would codify and modify various reports on programs to train and equip foreign security forces — and extend congressional oversight of the controversial Counterterrorism Partnership Fund.
Email: jgould@defensenews.com
Twitter: @ReporterJoe
Joe Gould was the senior Pentagon reporter for Defense News, covering the intersection of national security policy, politics and the defense industry. He had previously served as Congress reporter.
