International Cooperation involves the collaboration of foreign governments and related organizations during any stage of the acquisition cycle. Congress requires DoD to determine if there are allied or other friendly nations with whom we can cooperate on major systems development. Also, the acquisition strategy should address the potential for international cooperative research, development, production, logistics support, or sale. Some of the possible attractions of international involvement include:
- A foreign government sharing in the cost of development
- An opportunity to incorporate emerging technology from abroad
- Possible lower production costs through increased foreign competition, by encouraging international producers to compete with domestic sources
- Promoting interoperability of our systems with those of our allies, providing a warfighting advantage in multi-national warfighting coalitions
Some of the possible problems with international involvement include:
- Political differences or economic problems with partners that can delay programs
- Possible dependency on foreign sources
- Security issues associated with technology transfer between countries can take a long time to resolve, which can lead to program delays
- Economic considerations for the US industrial base when foreign competition is introduced
- Legal and administrative requirements for international participation including coordination with the State Department
