“My job is to take punches to the face every day for the failure of the U.S. defense industrial system to deliver.”

That was the startling self-introduction delivered by a senior military officer responsible for defense cooperation assigned to a major U.S. embassy during an event I attended last year. Unfortunately, he was only half joking.

Cost overruns and schedule delays in U.S. defense programs cost taxpayers billions and deprive U.S. servicemembers of the capabilities they need. Likewise, when the U.S. defense industrial base fails to deliver capability to allies and partners, there are serious consequences for U.S. national security.

Delays weaken trust in the U.S. as a reliable security partner. They leave allies and partners without urgently needed capabilities and make them less likely to purchase U.S. weapons in the future. Meanwhile, U.S. adversaries become more emboldened as the balance of power tips in their favor.

For example, more than $20 billion in backlogged U.S. arms for Taiwan represent a trifecta for Chinese malign influence, undermining the Taiwanese people’s confidence in their government, their military and the U.S.

Failure to deliver U.S. arms on time and on budget also undermines the Trump administration’s burden-sharing goals.

Purchasing U.S. weapons is one of the only viable near-term options for allies and partners to significantly increase their defense spending. However, allies and partners may balk if they face ever-increasing........

© The Hill