International Defense Cooperation

Extending beyond analyses of U.S. industrial base trends, CIB also tracks security cooperation, government spending, industrial integration, acquisition policy, and collaborative industrial base activities with partners in Europe, Asia, and the Pacific

Surges in spending by potential adversaries in recent years have reshaped the security landscape, especially as European countries evaluate their responses to Russian aggression and as the United States increases its focus on the INDOPACOM region. As the global security environment faces growing competition, the size and scope of spending, capabilities, and the industrial bases in these regions and others deserve careful attention.

CIB’s research examines how deeper collaboration can address shared challenges, from potential pathways to ease the shipbuilding crisis through cooperation with Japan and the Republic of Korea to assessing the opportunities and implications of AUKUS, and incorporating exportability and modularity into system design. It also examines ways to streamline Foreign Military Sales and Direct Commercial Sales, reform export controls like ITAR and EAR to balance between security and innovation, especially with dual-use technology, and leverage NATO and other multilateral frameworks for co-development, common standards, and interoperability. Leveraging deep knowledge, quantitative data, and regional expertise, CIB seeks to analyze overall industrial base trends and bring together experts in conferences to identify opportunities for future U.S. security cooperation with regional allies and partners.

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International Industrial Cooperation: Perspectives from Poland

CSIS will host Mr. Konrad Golota, Polish Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of State Assets, for a fireside chat on the Polish defense industry's rapid expansion and adaptation to regional threats and opportunities for industrial cooperation with transatlantic partners.

 

Event — December 5, 2025

Overcoming the Barriers to Forward Deterrence

The United States relies on its unmatched network of allies to help fill gaps in U.S. industrial capacity and capability. But a variety of regulatory barriers inhibit cooperation and create challenges for allies who want to purchase from or work with the United States.

Commentary by Cynthia R. Cook and Audrey Aldisert — July 1, 2025

Enabling Forward Sustainment

To reduce the risks relating to contested logistics in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Air Force should consider deepening maintenance and repair cooperation with Japan—leveraging its industrial strength to build a more resilient, forward-positioned sustainment capability.

Report by Cynthia R. Cook, Nicholas Szechenyi, Henry H. Carroll, Audrey Aldisert, Sarah Hendrick, and Javier Nater — June 26, 2025

Strengthening NATO Starts with Fixing Its Industrial Base

The transatlantic defense industrial base has long been fragmented and inflexible. The NATO summit presents an opportunity to address key factors that keep arms sales, technology transfer, and defense industrial cooperation ill-suited to meet current security demands.

Commentary by Audrey Aldisert — June 24, 2025

Identifying Pathways for U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation with Northeast Asian Allies

U.S. naval shipbuilding faces production and capacity constraints that undermine fleet readiness. Closer cooperation with allies like Japan and South Korea on ship construction and repair could help counter China’s maritime threat and bolster U.S. industrial resilience.

Brief by Henry H. Carroll and Cynthia R. Cook — May 15, 2025