South Africa’s Arms Procurement Commission has begun its public hearings in Pretoria into the Strategic Defence Procurement Package but already there is concern that the commission’s credibility is seriously wrecked…. The SDPP belongs to the nineteen nineties, when the weapons would cost R30bn and the public were told they would generate more than R100bn in offset obligations.
The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is to require offset programmes for purchases of military equipment as part of a larger reform to regulate weapons procurement.
Peru has turned up the volume on its industrial participation policy. Defence vice minister Valakivi Jakke said Peru will co-produce because it is time to “change the mode of acquisition”. The focus now is on co-production, and self-sufficiency, he said.
Colombia’s defence industry will be transformed as the government of president Juan Manuel Santos considers new strategies for foreign direct investment and offset programmes. Colombia's new focus is on becoming a manufacturer and exporter of military equipment.
India’s Comptroller and Auditor General found several instances where the acquisition rules were ignored in the VVIP helicopter deal. Their report found ambiguities and irregularities in the offset obligations AgustaWestland had promised.