Washington Drives Arms-Sales Overhaul

We’re bringing you a comprehensive look at the U.S. House’s push to streamline arms deals, Europe’s quest for a “drone wall” and why two top Pentagon veterans see global opportunities in the desert.

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America should look to the Middle East to shore up its brittle defense-industrial base, according to a new report from retired Joint Chiefs Chair Joseph Dunford and former Pentagon policy chief Eric Edelman.

Their proposed fix: Enlist Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to add production capacity and vary supply chains.

Desert rationale: Their new report urges a phased approach. Source critical minerals and produce basic components such as propellants and fuses, then move to full-scale munitions production and, eventually, co-develop advanced systems.

How they know: Dunford led the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2015 to 2019 under Barack Obama and Trump. Edelman served as the Pentagon’s top policy official under President George W. Bush, and Jonathan Ruhe is the director of foreign policy at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America think tank.

“This was conceived … to deepen and hopefully extend the Abraham Accords,” Edelman said in an interview, referring to the agreement between Israel and three Arab countries that established diplomatic relations. “Let’s make this about more than just peace treaties. Let’s do common projects that knit everybody together.”

They argue that Israel’s proven missile-defense co-production, Saudi Arabia’s deep pockets and effort to localize half its defense procurement, the UAE’s investments in AI chips and counter-drone systems, and Bahrain’s role hosting the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet headquarters make them logical partners.

Zoom out: American production is already strained. The U.S. produces about 40,000 artillery shells per month, far short of the 15,000 per day Ukraine fires in combat. The Pentagon is pressing missile makers to double or quadruple the output of 12 top weapons for a potential China fight.

Still, the team’s proposal faces steep obstacles: navigating Israel’s frayed ties with Arab neighbors, reforming export-control and U.S. foreign military sales rules, insulating technology from Chinese ties in the Gulf and protecting any new factories from Iranian missile threats. Edelman framed these hurdles as manageable compared to the risk of a poorly armed U.S. in a major conflict.

“This is going to require some very deft defense diplomacy,” he said.

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Read the full piece in POLITICO.