The assistant secretary of defense for acquisition spoke today on the deepening industrial partnership between the United States and South Korea at a Center for Strategic and International Studies conference in Washington.
Kevin Fahey said the alliance with South Korea is very important and added that his remarks about industrial cooperation also apply to other allies and partners.
Fahey said the Defense Department would like to work with South Korea’s military industry on 10 science and technology priorities:
- Hypersonics
- Directed energy
- Command, control and communication
- Space
- Defensive and offensive cyber
- Artificial intelligence and machine learning
- Missile defense
- Quantum science and computing
- Microelectronics
- Autonomy
Cooperation on these would include shared doctrine, development, training and integrated operating capabilities that would allow both nations to employ these systems in operations, he said.
Within the realm of command, control and communication, Fahey said co-development of a 5G network would be welcomed.
He also said protecting intellectual property and cybersecurity of the industrial bases are important to both nations.
Other areas of importance in the industrial base are speeding acquisition, policy reform and improving contracting and procurement.
Fahey congratulated South Korean industry for being selected to provide maintenance, repair and overhaul of the F-35 Lighting II joint strike fighter aircraft.
Fahey was joined on the panel by Wang Jung-hong, South Korea’s minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.
