Executive Order creates task force to oversee arms-transfer strategy implementation

President Trump signed an Executive Order creating the "America First Arms Transfer Strategy," directing the U.S. government to prioritize reindustrializing the domestic defense base and using arms sales to build production capacity, strengthen supply chains, and favor partners that invest in their own defense. The Order tasks the Secretaries of War, State, and Commerce with creating a prioritized sales catalog, enhancing advocacy, collaborating with industry, and finding efficiencies in End Use Monitoring, Third-Party Transfers, and Congressional notifications. It establishes a Promoting American Military Sales Task Force to oversee implementation and requires quarterly aggregate performance metrics on defense sales execution. The White House says the Strategy will leverage over $300 billion in annual defense sales to speed deliveries and reinforce allies’ regional security responsibilities.