ABSTRACT
The Russian and American defence communities have substantially improved their bilateral cooperation since the Soviet Union's demise. The US defence community has shown an intense interest in cultivating military-to-military contacts with its Soviet/Russian counterpart for at least two decades. Promoting deeper interoperability could become even more important now that both countries are contemplating much more demanding joint military operations. Enhancing ties between the Russian and American defence research, development and acquisition communities could produce mutually beneficial military technologies and weapons systems. Moscow and Washington clashed over Russia's foreign military sales throughout the 1990s. US officials complained about the purchasers and the items sold. Although they are making progress in reducing the technical barriers to greater interoperability, the Russian and US militaries still know little about each other. Continued bilateral dialogue and other exchanges are needed to overcome these problems. Russian and US military forces in Central Asia should develop direct ties, exchange information and perhaps conduct joint military exercises.
