U.S. and Japan buddy up on Patriot missile production

Asked if co-production for PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement is motivated by Chinese schemes for Taiwan, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante told reporters the "sense of urgency is broader than that."

• "We're just going to need it around the world for our allies and partners," he said on the sidelines of a National Defense Industrial Association event. "The more places it can be produced, the better."

Catch up quick: Washington and Tokyo this summer agreed to expand production of the PAC-3 MSE. Each costs millions of dollars.

• Japan is the only country outside the U.S. with a Patriot certified round assembly facility, where parts are put together and refurbished.
• Lockheed Martin in June won a $4.5 billion contract for hundreds of the interceptors and associated hardware.

What they're saying: "If Japan can get from 60 to 100-plus round yearly capacity, that's a substantial boost for the bilateral alliance," Masao Dahlgren, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told me.

• "Patriot is the most in-demand system around, and for good reason," he added. "We need to build up capacity. That starts with factories and ends with Congress."

What's next: Expect the U.S. and Japan to grow closer as tensions rise in the Indo-Pacific.