Naomi Cooper
Eric Brown, vice president for mission strategy and advanced capabilities at Lockheed Martin, said policy and security requirements are hindering U.S. defense companies from addressing the increasing demand for space technologies from international military customers, SpaceNews reported Monday.
“We’re seeing greater collaboration among nations from a military and operational perspective. But frankly, policy and security are having a difficult time keeping pace,” said Brown.
According to the executive, Lockheed and other defense contractors are facing regulatory roadblocks due to restrictions on the sale of U.S.-manufactured space products to foreign allies.
Countries like the U.K. and Australia are actively looking to collaborate with U.S. space technology suppliers, but the required authorities for defense space acquisition collaboration are “not yet as mature as they are for other domains,” remarked Brown.
He noted that while the U.S. military’s recent partnerships on international programs are “excellent in building connections across allies,” these collaborations are not “quite to the point of true joint capabilities.”
