Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports & Cooperation

Sean Rice, Partner Relationship Management (Americas) forward strategist, office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports & Cooperation, gave a security cooperation and Army Security Assistance Enterprise overview to 57 international sergeants major from allied and partner nations during their U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy, International Military Student Office, visit to San Antonio, Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston on April 10. The engagement reinforced the importance of integrating security cooperation themes into multinational professional military education, and advanced U.S. efforts to build partner capacity through senior NCO education.

The international leaders specifically requested future discussions focused on FMS and how these programs can turn ideas into capability, support progressive and sequential professional military education, all while turning allied/partner-force capability gaps into interoperable solutions.

DASA(DEC) Director of Operations Brandi Martin accepted to NDU Eisenhower School in the fall

As I prepare for this upcoming academic year, I am incredibly excited to step back and sharpen how I think at the strategic level. The National Defense University’s Eisenhower School will undoubtedly strengthen my ability to connect policy, industry, and national security outcomes.

The decision to pursue this opportunity was heavily influenced by my growth over the last four years. My time working alongside the DASADEC team made me much more aware of both my strengths and my gaps. That awareness drove my decision to apply. I wanted to deliberately invest in the areas where I need to grow to lead at the next level. Furthermore, operating across security cooperation exposed where strategy and ex*****on don’t always align, and I applied to gain the perspective and tools to close that gap.

During my time at NDU, I look forward to engaging with leaders across government, industry, and our international partners. I am particularly focused on studying the defense industrial base and understanding how it translates strategic priorities into capability and speed.

Ultimately, my goal is to bring these lessons back to the enterprise. I plan to return with a stronger ability to translate strategy into ex*****on, reducing friction and improving alignment across the board. I want to strengthen how we integrate policy, resources, and operations so we move faster and more effectively. This is about coming back better equipped to lead at scale and deliver results.

The last four years prepared me for this opportunity. This next step is about preparing me to deliver at a higher level.

𝘞𝘦, 𝘢𝘵 𝘋𝘈𝘚𝘈(𝘋𝘌𝘊), 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘢𝘫𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘱 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘮𝘺.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation Patrick Mason and DASA(DEC) Director of Operations Brandi Martin led a discussion with acquisition professionals May 7 at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. During this elective session, the two acquisition leaders shared insight on acquisition reform and how the Department of War is moving urgently and strategically towards building a more robust defense industrial base with allied partners and industry ready to meet today’s global threats.

On May 6, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army Patrick Mason addressed 81 senior leaders from NATO and partner nations at the NATO Defense College Panel to discuss a fundamental shift:

The U.S. Army is transitioning from a traditional supplier to a "Collaborative Partner."

To meet today’s urgent threats, we must build a digitally-integrated, multinational arsenal where production is distributed across our global alliance. During the panel, Mr. Mason outlined a "right-size approach" to making this transatlantic capacity a reality:

🤝 Open Approach to Collaboration: Moving past simple sales to joint production, development, and shared technology.
📈 Aggregated Demand: Leveraging joint, large-scale procurement to provide industry with the predictability needed to scale up.
💰 Access to Capital: Partnering with industry and allied governments to lower financial barriers and secure supply chains.
🎯 Targeting 3% Spending: Ensuring our partners are investing in their own self-defense to build a resilient, shared security architecture.

We are bringing this model to life today. The Army's new CUAS/UAS digital marketplace slashes red tape to deliver pre-vetted capabilities to our partners at the speed of relevance.

Thank you to the NATO Defense College for hosting this vital strategic exchange. Together, we are building a more resilient, interoperable, and fast-moving allied force.”

We extend our deepest gratitude and warmest congratulations to Ulysses "Dusty" Rhodes, Jr., former director of Enterprise Policy, Resources, Audit, and Workforce Development at DASA(DEC), as he retires after 45 years of total service. Dusty was a cornerstone of our organization, and his exceptional leadership in overseeing the Army's $380M+ worldwide FMS administrative budget and providing critical policy guidance on security cooperation activities has left an indelible mark on our mission.

We forever thank Dusty and his wonderful family for their unwavering dedication and profound impact on the security cooperation community and our great nation.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Defense Exports and Cooperation Patrick Mason and Director General of the Korean Ministry Defense AI Planning Bureau Jeon Jun-beom signed a letter of intent on unmanned aerial systems and counter- unmanned aerial systems cooperation and market participation May 15 during a ceremony at Korea’s Ministry of National Defense in Seoul. This agreement strengthens U.S.-Korea relations and establishes a joint supply chain for UAS and C-UAS used by allied forces.

Read the full story on this strategic partnership.

Korea, US formalize ‘drone alliance' to counter evolving regional threats - The Korea Times Korea and the United States moved Friday to tighten military cooperation on drones and counter-drone systems, signaling a new phase in the alliance...

The U.S. – Australia alliance is growing stronger through collaborative efforts to establish new Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul opportunities for Black Hawk and Apache engine repair, corrosion prevention across our common crewed platforms, and complementary efforts to achieve Drone dominance.