Army Modernization Fosters Boom in US-foreign Partnerships

WASHINGTON — History has told international defense companies that it’s hard to play ball in the United States, but as the Army looks to modernize rapidly, both U.S. and international companies are finding that partnering to bring readily available advanced technology and weapon systems into the U.S. is a win-win for both sides.

The formation of these types of partnerships appear to be in the midst of a boom in recent months following the advent of the Army Futures Command which is taking on the service’s most pressing modernization priorities: Long-Range Precision Fires, Next-Generation Combat Vehicle, Future Vertical Lift, the Network, Air-and-Missile Defense and Soldier Lethality.

The service wants to wrap up a dramatic round of modernization efforts by 2028 and has developed aggressive prototyping schedules for critical weapon systems that would have normally taken 10 to 20 years to develop and field.

And while there are certain areas the Army will likely close off to international companies, such as sites, radars and gun systems, there are plenty of areas where the international defense industry can quickly boost the service’s capability.