Made-in-America Defense Act
This bill aims to speed up the delivery of American military equipment to foreign allies by considering whether private defense companies should sell more weapons directly to partner nations. The State and Defense Departments would conduct annual reviews to identify weapons currently restricted to government-run sales that could safely be shifted to direct commercial sales. In addition, federal officials would have to report each year to Congress on shipping backlogs, the root causes of delays, and any items removed from the restricted sales list.
What this bill touches.
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it burdens
- Department of StateMust conduct an annual review of the FMS-only list in coordination with the Department of Defense and submit an annual report to congressional committees evaluating delivery times, causes of delays, and justifications for listing decisions under Section 3(a) and 3(b).
- Department of DefenseMust coordinate with the Department of State on an annual review of defense goods and services restricted to government-to-government sales and an annual report to congressional committees under Section 3(a) and 3(b).
The provisions, in plain language.
Declares the sense of Congress that speeding up defense deliveries to allies strengthens national security and that military goods and services suitable for commercial export should not be restricted to government-to-government sales.
Requires the State Department, in coordination with the Defense Department, to conduct an annual review of defense goods and services restricted to government-to-government sales to identify items that should be eligible for direct commercial sales, assessing delivery timelines, agency workloads, and U.S. competitiveness.
Directs the State and Defense Departments to report annually to congressional committees on the review's findings, including delivery time comparisons, primary causes of delays, corrective actions taken, and justifications for any items added to or removed from the restricted sales list.