US State Department official to promote military sales at Singapore Airshow

02 February, 2018

WASHINGTON — The United States, for the first time in years, is sending its diplomat responsible for foreign military sales to the Singapore Airshow to promote US-made weapons, a US official said on Thursday (Feb 1), as the State Department prepares for an overseas arms sales push.

The attendance of Ambassador Tina Kaidanow at the air show from Feb 6 to Feb 11, the most important in the Asia-Pacific region, is aimed at boosting sales for US arms manufacturers such as F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp and missiles manufactured by Raytheon Co.

US President Donald Trump's administration is nearing completion of a new "Buy American" initiative that calls for US military attaches and diplomats to play a much bigger role in the sale of billions of dollars more in business overseas.

[Make us an offer we can't refuse.]

"We will be working at strengthening our advocacy at every level of the embassy, from your commercial officer, up through your ambassador," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters on Thursday.

Singapore could be seen as the test case for the Trump administration's new strategy of having the Pentagon and the US State Department take a more active role in securing foreign arms deals, which require State Department approval.

For the first time since at least 2009, the US delegation at the air show will include the top State Department official overseeing arms sales. Ms Kaidanow holds that role, with the title principal deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.

The US exported US$49.5 billion (S$64.74 billion) of aerospace and defence products to the Asia-Pacific in 2016, compared with the European demand of US$49.8 billion, according to US Department of Commerce data.

The official said of the "Buy America" initiative: "I would expect with all of the energy the US government is putting behind this, as well as all of the energy the companies are putting behind this, that I would hope to see very good numbers" for foreign military sales.

The State Department said in a statement that Ms Kaidanow "will hold consultations on defence trade issues and promote more than 150 US companies and trade organisations exhibiting the latest aerospace technologies".

Demand for US-made arms is high and foreign military sales in fiscal year 2017, comprising the final months of Mr Obama's term and much of Mr Trump's first year in office, climbed to US$42 billion, compared with US$31 billion in the prior year, according to the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency.

Mr Remy Nathan, vice-president for international affairs at the Aerospace Industries Association aid: "The Asia-Pacific region was our industry's largest regional export destination for several years before Europe overtook it in 2016."

REUTERS