US army new collaborations with allies

   

The U.S. will work with Japan to build a new interceptor to hit hypersonic missiles, and it will work with Australia to produce Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System rockets, Pentagon acquisition chief Bill LaPlante said Wednesday. “It’s all part of a new strategy to bring partners into the process of manufacturing key weapons to ensure a steady supply of arms in the event of a major conflict, and to deter China from military action,” Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports.

 LaPlante also said the Defense Department will look to larger and longer-term contracts over multiple years, sometimes called block buying, to help newer, non-traditional defense contractors appease nervous investors and stay in business as well as to persuade established contractors to sustain production of key arms over longer periods. More here.

 Meanwhile, the US Army’s Pacific corps will invite more allies to join the digital-comms platform that leaders see as key to future coalition operations. The Mission Partner Environment that debuted with Australia will be extended to other exercise partners in the coming year, D1’s Lauren C. Williams reports.