​​South Korea’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announcedon Wednesday that Germany’s planned simplification of defense export procedures will streamline the procurement of German-made components for South Korean weapons systems. In the past, acquiring these components required extensive approval from the German government, which could take 6 to 12 months. The new procedure, which aligns with the standards applied to European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations, will come into effect on Sept. 1, allowing German companies to export specific non-sensitive defense and dual-use materials to South Korea without distinct clearance from the Federal Office for Economic Affairs