US Allies Lobbying for Greater Interoperability
Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - Other, Americas - USA, Asia - Central, Australia & S. Pacific, Britain/U.K., Interoperability, Issues - International, Think Tanks
eDefense Online notes that the US Department of Defense (DoD) is consulting with overseas allies in developing its strategy for coping with threats, and that the issue of interoperability is front and center. They also reported on an Oct 27, 2005 Heritage Foundation presentation featuring officials from Pakistan, Australia and Canada to discuss “The QDR and the Role of America’s Allies: Principles and Issues for the Quadrennial Defense Review” (hear in streaming media), and on a multinational panel at the recent Association of the US Army conference in Washington.
Some US military entities like US Joint Forces Command are intimiately involved in these issues. Some of the issues involved are technical, but not all; eDefense cites a British embassy attache, for instance, who complained that British and Australian officers serving in Iraq on joint operations are sometimes barred from the briefings because they aren’t cleared to receive this information. Other issues noted include joint weapon development programs like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, and the overall expense of keeping up with cutting-edge US developments. The entire eDefense Online article may be found here.
