Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Gen Nakatani, Japan’s defense minister, have signed an agreement that aims to facilitate the procurement of defense supplies between the two countries and exempt defense products from Buy America provisions, Breaking Defense reported Tuesday.Sydney Freedberg Jr. writes the reciprocal defense procurement agreement signed on June 3 by Carter and Nakatani during the Shangri-la Dialogue comes amid China’s increasing military activities.
Japan’s decision to join a list of 23 countries that have RDP pacts with the U.S. would help promote collaboration on missile defense platforms, a Capitol Hill staffer told Breaking Defense.
According to the report, Japan has been involved in the development of the latest version of Standard Missile SM-3 and already manufactures parts for the Patriot missile.
Bryan Clark, a former aide to the chief of naval operations, told the publication that the RDP pact would help facilitate the sale of sensors and other high-tech components from Japan for integration with U.S.-built weapons systems.
