About
About FMS Edge
The process is poorly explained in public — the is a thousand-page policy text, and everything else is stale, paywalled, or institutional. FMS Edge is the on-ramp: ten pipeline stages, fifteen case-level roles, and the authorities behind every decision point.
What you'll find here
- The 10-stage FMS pipeline — every stage from pre- engagement through final case closure, with the players, durations, and pitfalls for each.
- The 15 case-level roles — who actually makes an case happen across , , the three service secretariats, the in-country , the OEM, and the program offices that execute.
- A role-based view — pick where you sit and jump to the stages and counterparts most relevant to your work.
- Guides — supplemental deep-dives on Title 22 vs Title 10, Obligation Authority mechanics, the nine approval gates, congressional notification, and the parts of the process most often misunderstood.
Sources
FMS Edge is published independently, drawing exclusively on publicly available sources — the , U.S. Code, Congressional Research Service reports, and public releases. No non-public information appears here.
Nothing on FMS Edge involves classified material or -controlled .
Contact
Questions, corrections, and source challenges: contact@fmsedge.com.
Foreign Military Sales (FMS)
A process, authorized by the Arms Export Control Act, through which eligible foreign governments and international organizations may purchase defense articles, services, and training from the United States Government.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
SAMM — Security Assistance Management Manual
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
Glossary entry →Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM) →
LOR — Letter of Request
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
FMS — Foreign Military Sale
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
DSCA — Defense Security Cooperation Agency
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
Glossary entry →Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) →
SCO — Security Cooperation Organization
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM)
DSCA Manual 5105.38-M required under DoD Directive 5105.65, "Defense Security Cooperation Agency" mandatory for use by all DoD Components. The SAMM provides DoD-wide guidance to the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), the Military Departments (MILDEPs), the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, the Defense Agencies, the DoD Field Activities, the Security Cooperation Organizations (SCOs), and all other organizational entities within the DoD engaged in the management or implementation of DoD Security Assistance and Security Cooperation programs over which DSCA has responsibility.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026
ITAR — International Traffic in Arms Regulations
SAMM Acronyms, as of 12 September 2026
Glossary entry →International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) →
Technical Data
Recorded information of a scientific or technical nature, regardless of form or characteristic. Examples of technical data packages include research and engineering drawings and associated lists, specifications, standards, process sheets, manuals, technical reports, catalog item identifications, and related information and computer software documentation.
SAMM Glossary, as of 12 September 2026