Reforming Foreign Defense Sales To Improve Speed and Accountability

The order directs the Secretaries of State and Defense to reform the U.S. foreign defense sales system in stages. Immediately, they must implement existing arms transfer policy, reevaluate Missile Technology Control Regime restrictions on certain high-capability items, and propose updated congressional notification thresholds to Congress. Within 60 days, State must publish a priority-partners list and Defense must identify priority end-items eligible for transfer, verifying those transfers won't harm U.S. force readiness. Both departments must also review and update the FMS-Only List and the U.S. Munitions List to focus restrictions on only the most sensitive technologies.

Within 90 days, State and Defense must submit a transparency and accountability plan to the President's National Security Advisor covering exportability requirements and consolidated technology-disclosure approvals. Within 120 days, Defense must submit a plan for a single electronic tracking system covering all arms export license requests and FMS cases throughout their full life cycle. Annual reviews of the priority-partner and end-item lists are also required.

U.S. allied and partner governments seeking to purchase American defense equipment, U.S. defense contractors that supply weapons through Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales channels, and the federal agencies that process, approve, and monitor arms transfer cases.

Allied governments could receive U.S. weapons faster and at lower cost. American defense manufacturers gain expanded export opportunities and potentially higher production volumes. Reduced regulatory steps and a unified tracking system aim to cut delays that have historically caused delivery backlogs in the arms sales pipeline.

Implementation runs in three tiers: immediate actions (policy implementation and congressional outreach), a 60-day phase (priority-partner and end-item lists), and 90- and 120-day phases (accountability plan and electronic tracking plan). Each deliverable flows through the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs. The order does not itself change any statute or regulation — actual changes to congressional notification thresholds require congressional action, and list revisions require departmental rulemaking. No explicit enforcement mechanism or reporting requirement to OMB is specified beyond the plan submissions.