Will Reforms Lead to Faster Foreign Military Sales?

• Position: Reform of U.S. export control system - Brief Article

As a result of the first major reform of the U.S. export control system since the end of the Cold War, new life is being breathed into the Pentagon's troubled $12 billion foreign military sales program, according to Deputy Defense Secretary Rudy de Leon. Under the program, U.S. military weapons and other equipment are sold to friendly nations around the world. Recent examples include a frigate to Poland, F-16s to the United Arab Emirates and Apache Longbow helicopters to Singapore.

De Leon, however, acknowledged criticism that the process of getting approval to sell defense technology is "cumbersome, inefficient and driven by outdated security regulations." During the 71-day air war in Kosovo, he noted, it took more than two months to get...