Close collaboration with like-minded partners remains a top priority as Defense Department leaders drive efforts to reinforce supply chains and bolster industrial capacity, a senior Pentagon official said today.  

Vic S. Ramdass, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for industrial base policy, detailed U.S. initiatives that further strengthen partnerships and invest in regional initiatives as part of a panel discussion on "production diplomacy" hosted by the Atlantic Council, a public policy think tank, in Washington.

Ramdass said the U.S. has long recognized the value of strong partnerships in promoting the shared values of peace and security across the globe.  

"We have been at this for a long time," he said. "But we must look at what has happened within the last few decades in terms of our investment in the industrial base and where we need to pivot [for] the future. Critical to that will be our long-term investments, but more importantly, how we continue to strengthen those relationships with our allies going forward."

This imperative, he said, is captured in DOD's first National Defense Industrial Strategy published earlier this year.

The 59-page blueprint lays out long-term priorities that will guide DOD actions and resource prioritization to create a modern, resilient defense industrial ecosystem designed to deter U.S. adversaries and meet the production demands posed by evolving threats.

It also underscores the critical role partnerships will play in charting DOD's course.

"This strategy highlights the power of production-oriented diplomacy — leveraging networked production chains among allies [and], enabling us to build more resilient supply chains with like-minded partners while expanding production, innovation and overall industrial capacity," Ramdass said.  

He said such diplomacy supplements U.S. investments to build upon the defense industrial base both at home and abroad.

"Closer collaboration with allies and partners on defense industrial challenges is a top priority for our leadership," he said. 

 

Source:defense.gov

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