Washington, D.C.– On Jan. 12, 2023, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Japan Minister of Defense HAMADA Yasukazu signed the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding for Research Study, Development, Test and Assessment Projects (RDT&E) and a bilateral, non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) in between the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and Japanese Ministry of Defense (MOD).
The RDT&E MOU is a legally binding arrangement in which DoD and MOD devote to increasing opportunities for U.S.-Japanese partnership on emerging innovation to improve defense abilities. The MOU will support the Alliance’s efforts to keep its technological edge in vital and emerging innovations, such as high-power microwaves, autonomous systems, and counter-hypersonics. The MOU likewise updates the Project for Cooperative Research (PCR) MOU to simplify processes along with adjust for existing laws, policies, and standards of practice for United States-Japan for RDT&E activities.
Through the SOSA, the United States and Japan accept exchange reciprocal top priority support for items and services that promote national defense. The arrangement creates a streamlined system for DoD and MOD to request expedited handling of industrial resources to resolve unexpected supply chain disruptions to fulfill nationwide security needs.
Secretary Austin and Minister Hamada signed the RDT&E MOU and the SOSA at an event at the Pentagon on the margins of the U.S.-Japan Security Consultative Committee (“2 +2”), which happened at the Department of State on January 11, 2023.
“Today, I am happy for Minister Hamada and I to sign two defense enabling plans to increase our opportunities for expanded and deepened cooperation on advanced innovations and defense supply chains,” stated Secretary Austin. “To support U.S. forces and boost Alliance cooperation towards these ends, the United States and Japan need to focus our efforts to work together on sharpening the one-upmanship of the Alliance to satisfy future force requirements and sustained logistics. This is a consequential minute for Japan and the U.S.-Japan Alliance as we embark on brand-new types of cooperation together.”
For details on RDT&E MOUs, please see the website of the Workplace of Director for International Cooperation, Workplace of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Sustainment) at https://www.acq.osd.mil/ic/international-agreements.html.
For extra details on SOSAs, please see the website of the Office of Defense Production Act (DPA) Title I, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition and Sustainment) at https://www.businessdefense.gov/security-of-supply.html.
Finally, to learn more about the Department of Defense’s important innovation locations and activities, please see the website of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Research Study and Engineering) at https://www.cto.mil/.