Pentagon Overhauls Arms Sales System to Speed Weapons to U.S. Allies

The restructuring aims to expedite approved weapons transfers while maintaining security controls.

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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The Pentagon has reorganized its arms sales process to reduce delays and speed up the delivery of approved weapons to U.S. allies. The change places two key offices under unified leadership to streamline the approval and production pipeline, eliminating duplicate reviews and aligning sales with manufacturing timelines.

Why it matters

The overhaul reflects a broader shift in Pentagon strategy to treat arms sales as an essential deterrence and stability tool, rather than a bureaucratic afterthought. Faster deliveries are critical for allies facing active conflicts, while improved coordination can also benefit U.S. defense manufacturing and spending.

The details

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency and the Defense Technology Security Administration have been placed under the same leadership responsible for weapons production and sustainment. This is intended to identify security issues earlier, reduce last-minute delays, give allies clearer delivery timelines, and allow U.S. manufacturers to plan production more efficiently. Sensitive systems will still undergo review, but earlier in the process to prevent deals from stalling.

  • The Pentagon's restructuring is already complete, with future arms deals moving through the new system immediately.

The players

Department of War

The U.S. government agency responsible for defense policy and military operations.

Defense Security Cooperation Agency

The Pentagon office that plays a central role in foreign weapons transfers.

Defense Technology Security Administration

The Pentagon office that oversees technology protection in arms sales.

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What’s next

If the changes work as intended, allies should see faster delivery timelines and fewer surprises after approvals. If not, pressure will likely build for further reforms.

The takeaway

This reorganization reflects a broader shift within the Pentagon to treat arms sales as a core strategic tool rather than a bureaucratic afterthought. By tying sales, production, and security reviews together, the U.S. is signaling that supplying allies quickly is now considered essential to deterrence and global stability.