Loosening U.S. Military Export Rules Is Carrying Risks

F-22 production line. Flight Global

U.S. Must Loosen Export Rules; Risks Being Outgunned, Analyst Says -- Aol Defense

WASHINGTON: The U.S must change its standards on what kinds of military hardware it won't ship to its allies or risk being outgunned and out-manned in future wars, according to a top defense analyst.

The Defense and State departments have ramped up cooperation with its allies in recent years through Foreign Military Sales and international joint programs such as the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The Pentagon recently awarded an $835 million deal to defense giant Lockheed Martin to build F-16s for the fledgling Iraqi air force. Deals are also in the works to provide aerial drones, helicopters and cargo aircraft to various countries. That's all well and good, but "the US could be more forthcoming regarding what it is willing to export to its allies and friends," defense analyst and former Pentagon international programs official Frank Cevasco said.

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My Comment: With the financial/debt/unemployment crisis hitting the U.S. on every level, I actually expect a further loosening of export rules so that critical industries will continue to operate, employ workers, and provide needed tax revenue for all levels of government. Is selling advance military tech to countries that may become hostile to us in the future "dumb and short sighted" .... yes .... but it is preferable to the alternative which is to have our military industrial base shutting down and our knowledgeable military/technical manpower force leaving to find work elsewhere.