Beyond Make-or-Buy: The Mutual Hostage of Defense

Why do states acquire weapons the way they do? The traditional view suggests a clean binary: capable states build, while aligned states buy. But this fails to explain the messy, collaborative reality of modern defense: the world of codevelopment, coproduction, license production, and subcontracting.

In reality, states often inhabit a strategic "Goldilocks Zone, "a space where interests aren't aligned enough for a simple purchase, but domestic industry isn't strong enough for total independence. In this space, arms collaboration emerges not as a choice of convenience, but as a tug-of-war between autonomy and control:

• The Buyer is held hostage by their need for "black box" technology they cannot replicate.

• The Seller is held hostage by their need to maintain influence and prevent the buyer from drifting toward a rival’s orbit.

Collaboration is the mechanism that locks both parties in. The buyer gains the capability they crave, while the seller ensures the buyer remains tethered.

Sourcing Security provides a new framework for this complexity. It uses social network analysis, elite interviews across Central and Eastern Europe, and archival research in the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. This book offers a comprehensive view of how states source major weapons systems, from fighter jets and tanks to the frontiers of drones and hypersonic missiles, amidst the crushing pressure of geopolitical uncertainty.