Lt. Gen. Charles Hooper, most recently director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) and a previous Wash100 Award winner, said the U.S. government is offering options to foreign allies to keep them from dropping planned arms procurements as they deal with the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Defense News reported Tuesday.
Hooper told the publication during an interview options include changing payment schedules and allowing foreign nations to fund weapons systems procurement through U.S. bank loans.
“The bottom line here is, we are willing to work with our allies and partners, when they raise the challenges that they have, to find ways for them to continue to buy American and to ensure that they can pay for the equipment along a payment schedule that reflects their own economic conditions,” he added.
Hooper retired as head of DSCA on Monday, Aug. 3th, and was succeeded by Heidi Grant, former director of the Defense Technology Security Administration.
