Rethinking Security Cooperation in the Age of Commercial Tech

Commercial technologies are enabling greater military efficiency but also allow adversaries to erode the U.S. technological advantage cheaply. The U.S. National Defense Strategy emphasizes the need for allies to build their own capabilities, yet security cooperation still heavily relies on providing traditional, exquisite military platforms. This approach is hampered by production backlogs, high sustainment costs for partners, and an inability to keep pace with rapid technological change. The Department of Defense should therefore evolve its strategy to better incorporate commercial solutions in security cooperation to build allied capacity, improve interoperability, and deter aggression more effectively.