INTERNATIONAL AGREEMENTS
A key goal of the U.S. Military is interoperability among U.S.
forces and coalition partners. The Department of Defense (DoD)
Directive 5000.1 and DoD Instruction 5000.2 govern the DoD systems
acquisition process. The directive also states that a cooperative
development program with one or more Allied nations is preferred over a
new joint Component or Government Agency development program, or a new
DoD Component-unique development program.
The International Agreements directive (DoD Directive 5530.3) governs the
armaments cooperation international agreements process. An
international agreement is any agreement concluded by any DoD
Component, or in certain situations by the Department of State, with
one or more foreign governments including their agencies,
instrumentalities, or political subdivisions, or with an international
organization that constitutes a commitment binding in international law
on the part of the U.S. and the foreign government. Such
agreements obligate both governments to provide funds or other
resources, or to perform certain activities. While the directive
lists many possible denominations for an international agreement, the
most common is the Memorandum of Understanding or Memorandum of
Agreement.
All DoD-related international agreements may use the Under
Secretary of Defense (AT&L)- issued streamlined procedures in the
Defense Acquisition Guidebook for review and approval rather than the
procedures in DoD Directive 5530.3. Navy IPO is responsible for
negotiating such international agreements under the purview of the
Department of the Navy and, on occasion, on behalf of the
DoD.
