DOD IG to audit development of foreign military sales agreements

The Defense Department inspector general announced today its plans to audit how DOD takes a foreign country's requirements and develops an agreement to go through with a foreign military sale.

"Our objective is to determine whether the DOD coordinated foreign partner requirements for defense articles and services with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Military Departments, and other organizations, and whether the metrics used by these components maximize the results of the Foreign Military Sales agreement development process," the DOD IG said in announcing the project.

The audit was directed by the House report accompanying the Fiscal Year 2019 National Defense Authorization Act.

"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 House report states. "The committee is aware, however, of concerns raised by U.S. military leaders, the defense industry, and foreign partners that the FMS process is slow, cumbersome, and overly complicated."