U.S. Defense Sales Reforms Anticipated to Take Effect Later This Year, Pentagon Official Reports

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is advancing its revised Foreign Military Sales (FMS) process, but U.S. officials warn that significant changes will not materialize immediately.

“We are on track with the America First Arms Transfer Strategy,” said Michael Cadenazzi, the assistant secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy, to reporters at a Center for a New American Security event. “We have completed our assigned initiatives, including the sales catalog and related components.”

Because the overhaul involves many moving parts, Cadenazzi cautions that any initial adjustments are unlikely to take effect until later this year and will unfold incrementally rather than in a single overhaul.

These remarks follow President Donald Trump’s February executive order, which mandates that national production interests be given greater weight in U.S. arms sales and prioritizes sales to countries that invest more in their own defense spending. Trump outlined a 120‑day timeline for key steps—now past—such as drafting a “sales catalog of prioritized platforms” and establishing a “Promoting American Military Sales Task Force” to devise an implementation plan.

“The biggest challenge is timing,” Cadenazzi explained. “With so many initiatives launching simultaneously, we’re already seeing the impact on the enterprise.” He added that changes also include creating a unified tracking system for arms sales and addressing potential production bottlenecks with timely interventions.

The comprehensive reform arrives amid heightened criticism of the administration’s stance toward certain allied nations and growing concerns from buyers about U.S. production backlogs and potential delays—particularly given commitments to offset weapons sold to adversaries like Iran.

Earlier this month, Lt. Gen. Piotr Błazeusz, Poland’s military representative to NATO, highlighted a “Catch‑22” for European nations: the U.S. urges European militaries to increase defense spending, yet delivery timelines for American systems often prove too extended and uncertain.

“When European buyers ask to purchase a system, they are met with delivery estimates of 2029‑2030, which may still face delays,” Mr. Błazeusz said at a Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress event. Consequently, European forces are looking elsewhere for alternative options, whether from domestic production or other sources.

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