diff --git a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake
index cc1e051629..4134fed597 100644
--- a/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake
+++ b/cmake/Modules/Packages/KOKKOS.cmake
@@ -1,15 +1,21 @@
 if(PKG_KOKKOS)
-  set(LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/kokkos)
-  set(LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR ${LAMMPS_LIB_BINARY_DIR}/kokkos)
+  option(EXTERNAL_KOKKOS "Build against external kokkos library")
+  if(EXTERNAL_KOKKOS)
+    find_package(Kokkos REQUIRED)
+    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS Kokkos::kokkos)
+  else()
+    set(LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR ${LAMMPS_LIB_SOURCE_DIR}/kokkos)
+    set(LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR ${LAMMPS_LIB_BINARY_DIR}/kokkos)
+    add_subdirectory(${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR} ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR})
+  
+    set(Kokkos_INCLUDE_DIRS ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR}/core/src
+                            ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR}/containers/src
+                            ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR}/algorithms/src
+                            ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR})
+    include_directories(${Kokkos_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+    list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS kokkos)
+  endif()
   add_definitions(-DLMP_KOKKOS)
-  add_subdirectory(${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR} ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR})
-
-  set(Kokkos_INCLUDE_DIRS ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR}/core/src
-                          ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR}/containers/src
-                          ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_SRC_DIR}/algorithms/src
-                          ${LAMMPS_LIB_KOKKOS_BIN_DIR})
-  include_directories(${Kokkos_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-  list(APPEND LAMMPS_LINK_LIBS kokkos)
 
   set(KOKKOS_PKG_SOURCES_DIR ${LAMMPS_SOURCE_DIR}/KOKKOS)
   set(KOKKOS_PKG_SOURCES ${KOKKOS_PKG_SOURCES_DIR}/kokkos.cpp