Foreign Military Sales Legislation: Impact on the Achievement of United States Foreign Policy Objectives and Its Implication for the Department of Defense.

摘要

Foreign military sales (FMS) provide economic benefits to the US and at the same time contribute to the achievement of US foreign policy objectives. Congressional attitudes toward such sales impact the extent to which the objectives of the FMS program are achieved. Specifically, legislative enactments affect the ability of the US to compete against other nations who also are vying for a share of the world's arms market and wish to extend their influence to certain parts of the world. The thesis presents a historical synthesis of legislation related to FMS for the 1961 to June, 1975 time period, together with an assessment of the impact of legislation on the FMS program. The synthesis is accompanied by observations and conclusions concerning the implications for the Department of Defense of recent Congressional activity.