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U.S. Security Needs International Support, Official Says

27 March 2006

Defense official says U.S. must improve practices for more effective partnering

By David Anthony Denny
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- In a period of ever greater uncertainty, no country can address its security requirements without international support, the deputy secretary of defense says.

Deputy Secretary Gordon England said concerted international cooperation and will are critical in developing effective security strategies. 

He spoke March 20 to a worldwide conference organized by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency in Virginia.

England told conferees that this need for cooperation is clearly articulated in the recently published Quadrennial Defense Review.  Not only is cooperation necessary to strengthen long-standing alliances like NATO, he said, but it is also vital to the support of new multinational efforts like the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI). (See related article.)

PSI, England said, has had great success interdicting illicit shipments of weapons materiel, and played a key role in convincing the Libyan government to abandon its efforts to acquire and produce nuclear weapons.

To improve and broaden international cooperation, the Defense Department must continue to make progress in speeding up its reviews of U.S. military and dual-use equipment purchases as well as transactions for products made by foreign firms and governments, England said, adding that the average review time has been cut in half, to an average of 21 days, but must continue to be improved.

The rules and regulations on military technology transfers exist for good reason, but delays in the review process negatively can affect how allies and partners view the United States, he said. 

An agile new fighting force requires an agile new department to support it, England said. Currently, the office of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the appropriate regional commands all must weigh in on the approval process, he explained, adding that other Cabinet agencies, including the State and Commerce departments, also are involved.

If the United Parcel Service can deliver 14 million packages and documents each day, while allowing customers to track their progress, then the Defense Department should be able to make its processes more transparent, England said.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency is the Defense Department’s conduit for developing and implementing international security assistance programs and monitors major weapon sales and technology transfers.

For more information about U.S. policy, see International Security.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)