装備品共同開発で初協議　米国防次官が訪日へ

　【ワシントン時事】米国防総省のシン副報道官は５日の記者会見で、ラプランテ国防次官（調達・維持担当）が今週訪日すると発表した。防衛装備品の共同開発・生産について協議する「日米防衛産業協力・取得・維持整備定期協議（ＤＩＣＡＳ）」の初会合に参加する。
　シン氏は会見で、会合を通じ「日米の防衛産業の協力を促進し、共同開発・生産・維持を加速させる」と強調した。日米首脳は４月の会談で、装備面の相互運用性を強化する枠組みとしてＤＩＣＡＳの新設を決定。今月２日の防衛相会談で、早期開催に向け詰めの調整を行った。（2024/06/06-11:09）

U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante will visit Japan this week to attend the first meeting of the Japan-U.S. Defense Industrial Cooperation Acquisition and Sustainment Forum, or DICAS, a spokesperson for the Defense Department said Wednesday.
   The DICAS framework "will promote greater U.S.-Japan defense industrial cooperation and accelerate opportunities for co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment," Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said in a press briefing.
   The two countries agreed at a summit in April to launch the framework to strengthen interoperability of defense equipment. Their defense ministers had talks last Sunday to make final preparations for the first DICAS meeting.
   U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink will also visit Japan, for two days from next Sunday, the State Department announced on Wednesday.
   Kritenbrink is expected to meet with senior Japanese officials to reaffirm the strengthening of the Japan-U.S. alliance and discuss the situation around Taiwan and North Korea's nuclear and missile development.