Commerce Department Unveils Strategy to Boost International Defense Sales

Escalating global conflicts and heightened geopolitical tensions underscore a clear imperative: the United States must continue to serve as the Arsenal of Freedom. Maintaining that position calls for more than sheer determination; it necessitates a strategic business approach to aggressively compete for international defense contracts.

This initiative is President Donald J. Trump’s America First Arms Transfer Strategy (AFATS), instituted via an Executive Order issued in February 2026. AFATS charges the Department of Commerce—home to the International Trade Administration’s Global Markets Advocacy Center—with crafting and executing a strategy aimed at boosting overseas purchases of U.S.-made defense equipment.

The plan has recently received internal government approval, and we are pleased to present its key elements for the first time, offering industry a preview of forthcoming initiatives and demonstrating how the Commerce Department stands ready to support U.S. firms worldwide.

Drawing on his business background, President Trump recognizes what defense leaders intuitively grasp: long‑term investment hinges on steady, foreseeable revenue. AFATS is founded on that principle and is already yielding tangible outcomes.

We are leveraging a proven track record of success across multiple sectors. Since President Trump assumed office, U.S. government commercial and defense advocacy has facilitated the signing of 176 contracts valued at $318 billion, of which $270 billion represents domestically produced export content and supports over one million American jobs.

Achieving the national objective of becoming a net exporter requires harnessing foreign demand to drive broad growth. International defense sales reduce unit costs, maintain active production lines, bolster the American warfighter, fortify supply chains, and provide the stable revenue needed to fund the research and development that preserves America’s technological advantage. In essence, success overseas translates to readiness at home.

Nevertheless, the landscape for foreign defense sales is growing more competitive. Rival manufacturers worldwide are receiving strong governmental backing and offering quicker delivery times. Moreover, the U.S. foreign military sales process—including the steps to request advocacy assistance—has occasionally lagged behind global demand. AFATS was created to address these shortcomings.

A Four-Part Strategy To Win

AFATS instructs the Department of Commerce, working alongside the State and War Departments, to strengthen advocacy initiatives that promote overseas acquisition of U.S.-made defense materiel. Under the direction of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade William Kimmitt, and in collaboration with other interagency partners, the Advocacy Center has outlined four specific priorities.

1. Reform Defense Advocacy Policy. Building on the April 2025 Executive Order titled “Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability,” we are streamlining the U.S. government’s approval process for advocacy support through a single standard operating procedure, a decision‑clock mechanism to accelerate case reviews, and an exceptions pathway that allows advocacy for selected cases that fall outside the conventional foreign‑competition criterion. These measures expand on the September 2025 agreement among the Commerce, State, and War Departments, which eliminated the requirement for U.S. firms to file the DSP‑5 marketing license to receive official defense advocacy assistance. The bottom line for industry is our dedication to tangible, actionable reforms rather than mere talk.

2. Educate and Empower U.S. Government Stakeholders. Our overseas personnel constitute a vital asset in securing defense advocacy agreements. We are issuing new global guidance that empowers every U.S. embassy to speed up advocacy application reviews and to create more avenues for direct engagement with foreign partners. Furthermore, we are launching worldwide training initiatives and collaborating with senior War Department officials and combatant commands to capitalize on in‑country relationships with foreign militaries and governments. These actions will transform each U.S. overseas post into a more effective champion for the American defense industry.

3. Prioritize Advocacy at the Highest Levels. Rival firms frequently enjoy robust backing from senior government officials. To ensure U.S. companies receive comparable support, we will elevate defense procurements that bolster the U.S. Defense Industrial Base in bilateral discussions, trade talks, and multilateral forums involving cabinet‑level and senior leadership participants.

4. Strengthen Industry Outreach and Engagement. We are intensifying our collaboration with U.S. industry, welcoming newcomers and innovators alike. This entails expanding export‑promotion events, increasing business‑matchmaking sessions, and broadening outreach to cutting‑edge defense firms—including emerging companies and those situated outside the traditional defense industrial base.

Momentum Is Already Building

We are already engaging U.S. companies swiftly and efficiently, delivering concrete results. Unmanned aircraft systems—including drones and counter‑drone technologies—rank among our fastest‑growing subsectors, with 62 active cases totaling approximately $30 billion. Demand for U.S. government advocacy support is rising sharply; approved defense cases grew by 34 % from FY2024 to FY2025, and FY2026 is currently pacing 27 % ahead of the previous year. To date, FY2026 has yielded thirteen signed foreign defense contracts worth $9 billion, of which $7.3 billion represents U.S.‑origin exports.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) within the Commerce Department is accelerating industry engagement and boosting participation in innovative events that create opportunities, foster connections, and drive outcomes. Examples include the U.S.–Japan UAS/C‑UAS Defense Industry Conference in Tokyo, the SOUTHCOM Space Conference of the Americas, and the Transatlantic Defense Industry Access Forum—each providing American firms a platform to present solutions and interface directly with military delegations. ITA is also expanding the roster of international trade shows at which the U.S. government champions defense contracts and raising the rank of government‑to‑government advocacy representatives at those events. This represents only the beginning of our efforts.

Government advocacy yields the best results when it is strategic, targeted, and directed toward opportunities where U.S. involvement can generate maximum impact. Our sole measure of success remains the signing of contracts that support American workers, fortify the industrial base, and promote U.S. economic and national‑security objectives.

What You Can Do Today

AFATS constitutes a presidential directive from President Trump, a governmental strategy, and an opportunity for the U.S. defense sector. The International Trade Administration’s Global Markets Advocacy Center is actively pursuing new avenues to marshal the full resources of the United States government behind American firms vying for international projects.

If your firm is pursuing a particular foreign defense contract, we invite you to investigate U.S. government advocacy support via trade.gov/advocacy. Additionally, ITA’s aerospace and defense export‑promotion programs can assist you in linking with international buyers and capitalizing on matchmaking opportunities.

The objective is straightforward: expand the production capacity of the U.S. defense industrial base, secure additional contracts, and keep the Arsenal of Freedom open, innovative, and prepared. We are prepared to assist American companies in transforming this goal into tangible outcomes.

Hiro Rodriguez is Executive Director of the Advocacy Center within the Global Markets business unit of the International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce.

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