I have been screaming into the void (or so it seems) since November 7 that the reforms to the American "Warfighting Acquisitions System" will impact Canadian defence procurement,though I don't pretend to understand how exactly. The 2025-2026 administrative restructuring moved the execution of sales (via the DSCA) deeper into the War Department’s acquisition hierarchy, but it did not repeal the State Department's legal oversight. The bottlenecks, in a benign interpretation, could be kinks in the administrative restructuring in the Defense Department (legal name) or some coordination problems between the two departments.
In addition, an Executive Order issued by the WH last Friday makes it very clear that defence purchases are now part and parcel of trade negotiations, I assume as either carrots or sticks. So that means that Lutnick gets a say too. Yay us!
Hard to say where this is going. The stated purpose of some of the reforms was to speed up foreign sales and production for foreign sales. It could just be that new requirements and oversight tools inside the Defense Department and for industry are causing havoc. As I said, that's one interpretation. The Executive Order on Friday held out that as part of the America First Arms Transfer Strategy there will be a "sales catalog" in 120 days of of "prioritized platforms and systems that the United States shall encourage our allies and partners to acquire" and "the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of War, shall provide recommendations to enhance advocacy efforts encouraging foreign procurement of defense articles produced in America for the purpose of supporting an America First Arms Transfer Strategy." I do not like the word "encourage" coming as it does from this administration.
I have been screaming into the void (or so it seems) since November 7 that the reforms to the American "Warfighting Acquisitions System" will impact Canadian defence procurement,though I don't pretend to understand how exactly. The 2025-2026 administrative restructuring moved the execution of sales (via the DSCA) deeper into the War Department’s acquisition hierarchy, but it did not repeal the State Department's legal oversight. The bottlenecks, in a benign interpretation, could be kinks in the administrative restructuring in the Defense Department (legal name) or some coordination problems between the two departments.
In addition, an Executive Order issued by the WH last Friday makes it very clear that defence purchases are now part and parcel of trade negotiations, I assume as either carrots or sticks. So that means that Lutnick gets a say too. Yay us!
That sounds ominous! Whatever US purchases are waiting approval, do I sense we should find alternative suppliers in some cases?
Hard to say where this is going. The stated purpose of some of the reforms was to speed up foreign sales and production for foreign sales. It could just be that new requirements and oversight tools inside the Defense Department and for industry are causing havoc. As I said, that's one interpretation. The Executive Order on Friday held out that as part of the America First Arms Transfer Strategy there will be a "sales catalog" in 120 days of of "prioritized platforms and systems that the United States shall encourage our allies and partners to acquire" and "the Secretary of Commerce, in coordination with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of War, shall provide recommendations to enhance advocacy efforts encouraging foreign procurement of defense articles produced in America for the purpose of supporting an America First Arms Transfer Strategy." I do not like the word "encourage" coming as it does from this administration.
Excellent perspective! A possible reaction to other nations looking for non-US equipment.