Department of Defense spokesperson Jessica Maxwell provided the following readout:
Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Dr. William A. LaPlante chaired the first meeting of the National Armaments Directors (NADs) from member nations of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) on September 28 in Brussels. He was joined by NADs and representatives from 45 nations, the European Union, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The forum enabled frank and open dialogue about defense industrial base challenges and opportunities to increase production of capabilities critical to Ukraine’s long-term defense.
The U.S. delegation outlined the Department’s analytical approach to identifying supply chain constraints for major components and sub-components, and plans to increase production of ground-based long range fires, air defense systems, air-to-ground munitions, and other capabilities. Nearly 20 international partners briefed similar efforts to strengthen and expand their nations’ industrial base to accelerate production, spurring productive dialogue on areas for multi-national coordination.
With the aim of providing long-term support to Ukraine, participants recognized the importance of standardizing requirements, thereby creating more interchangeable and interoperable systems. In addition, they discussed building sustainment capacity in Ukraine, including forward repair activity, access to spares, and other sustainment enablers.
The UDCG NADs committed to standing up smaller working groups to collectively drive progress on the above topics. In coming weeks, working groups will define multi-national strategies to mitigate supply chain constraints, increase production, and pursue interchangeability in portfolio areas critical to Ukraine’s long-term success.