U.S. Options for Identifying Third-Party Suppliers to Meet Ally and Partner Capability Needs

Conditions shaping the international defense market are requiring U.S. allies and partners to look beyond U.S. defense solutions to meet their needs. There are situations in which the United States might be unable to provide an appropriate solution for international partners on an acceptable timeline, or it might become clear that the U.S. system is not ideally suited to address a partner’s specific needs. In this paper, the authors explore the various circumstances under which the United States might be unable to provide an acceptable solution to address an ally’s or partner nation’s capability need and discuss how third-party suppliers can be part of a U.S. strategy to ensure that partners can acquire the defense capabilities they need. The authors highlight the variety of factors that could make a U.S. solution untenable, including such considerations as cost, timeline for availability, the functional features for the intended operational context, export control policies, and strategic competition. In cases in which a U.S. solution is not viable, how should U.S. decisionmakers continue to support a partner in identifying alternative capabilities that will enable that partner to contribute to a shared security objective? Are there ways to narrow down and identify a preferred pool of potential third-party suppliers that are consistent with U.S. interests? The authors discuss these questions and suggest considerations that could be applied to narrow the list of third-party suppliers and mitigate potential risks.