I believe that national security - ours and that of our friends and allies - now, and in the future, will increasingly rely on bi- and multi-lateral armaments cooperation. The underpinning for this will be a shift towards giving greater importance to the economic and industrial considerations of material acquisition programs in the future. This belief is the basis for the renaissance in armaments cooperation occurring on both sides of the Atlantic.

This publication presents the results of an intensive 11-month program for three military research fellows. The Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition) (USD (A)) chartered the Defense Systems Management College (DSMC) Military Research Fellowship Program in 1987. The program brings together selected officers from the Army, Navy, and Air Force for two primary purposes: first to provide advanced professional and military education for the participating officers; and second, to conduct research that will benefit the Department of Defense (DoD) acquisition community. This report focuses on transatlantic cooperative programs. Cooperation with Europe was chosen because of the important political, military, economic, and historical transatlantic ties, but most important, because America's relationship with Europe is rapidly evolving. There is substantial concern about a "Fortress America - Fortress Europe" syndrome. Political leaders and the public both here and in Europe are attempting to come to terms with the meaning of the NATO alliance in the post-Cold War era. European assertiveness and unity are clashing with dated perceptions about Europe held by Americans. Our intended audience is both the U.S. defense acquisition workforce and policy makers. For the former, we hoped to produce a useful guide that will make them more effective as members of a cooperative team. For the latter, we attempted to provide an updated comprehensive view of the salient features of transatlantic armaments cooperation and some ways in which the context is changing.

The European continent has undergone tremendous change since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) shortly thereafter in 1991. With such monumental changes taking place some would argue Europe should assume more of its own security responsibilities within the NATO alliance. Taking a closer look however one discovers that the countries of Europe are essentially struggling to find some middle ground in their attempts to consolidate their defense armaments efforts towards a meaningful end state. On the other side of the Atlantic the United States continues to prod and encourage the Europeans to spend more on their own defense while at the same time imposing technology transfer controls. Why is greater armaments cooperation between the United States and Europe so important? Why is it necessary that we put so much effort into improving our transatlantic ties in matters such as arms procurement? This paper will attempt to sort through the various frameworks for transatlantic armaments cooperation with the ultimate objective of proposing several beneficial solutions that may help to continue strengthening our transatlantic ties.

Presents the results of an intensive 11-month program for three military research fellows. Focuses on transatlantic cooperative programs. Provides an updated comprehensive view of the salient features of transatlantic armaments cooperation and some ways in which the context is changing.