DOD, Republic of Korea Ministry of National Defense enter Security of Supply Arrangement

The Department of Defense announced entrance into a bilateral, non-binding Security of Supply Arrangement (SOSA) with the Republic of Korea. The arrangement will enable the U.S. and the Republic of Korea to acquire the industrial resources they need to quickly meet defense requirements, resolve unanticipated disruptions that challenge defense capabilities, and promote supply chain resiliency.

"Allies and partners are foundational to our National Defense Strategy, especially throughout the Indo-Pacific," says Dr. William A. LaPlante, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment. "This Security of Supply Arrangement represents another important step forward in the seven-decade defense relationship between the U.S. and the Republic of Korea, strengthening the resiliency and security of our national defense programs and furthering opportunity for future, long-term collaboration."

The SOSA was recently signed by both Dr. LaPlante and Mr. Eom Dong-hwan, Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration.

In the Arrangement, the U.S. and the ROK commit intent to support one another's priority delivery requests for procurement of critical national defense resources. The U.S. will provide the ROK assurances under the U.S. Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS), with program determinations by DoD and rating authorization by the Department of Commerce (DOC). The ROK will in turn establish a government-industry Code of Conduct with its industrial base, where ROK firms will voluntarily agree to make every reasonable effort to provide the U.S. priority support.

SOSAs are an important mechanism for DoD to strengthen interoperability with defense trade partners. The Arrangements institute working groups, establish communication mechanisms, streamline DoD processes, and proactively act to allay anticipated supply chain issues in peacetime, emergency, and armed conflict. 

The ROK is the sixteenth SOSA partner of the U.S.  Other SOSA partners include Australia, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom.