Guide

How long does Foreign Military Sales Letter of Request assessment take?

Updated 11 September 2026

Case development may not begin until the Letter of Request meets the mandatory actionable criteria. Other U.S. Government reviews of the request vary with the items requested and should, to the extent possible, run concurrently to minimize the response time.

How long does Letter of Request assessment take?

SAMM C5.2.5.2.2 — Letter of Request Actionable.

Once an LOR, to include any additional information provided by the purchaser, meets the mandatory requirements found on Table C5.T4A., it is considered actionable and the IA may proceed with case development actions. An "LOR Actionable" milestone must be entered into DSAMS before case development activities may begin for Category C documents. The "LOR Actionable" milestone is defined as the date that the LOR Assessment process has determined that the LOR meets, at a minimum, the mandatory actionable criteria as defined in Table C5.T4A. To enter the "LOR Actionable" milestone in the Case Milestone Window, the case must first be initialized. The "LOR Actionable" milestone should then be entered upon case initialization. This milestone is mandatory for Category C documents (since it is the starting point for the case development clock) and optional for all other categories. The time period between "LOR Receipt" and "LOR Actionable" should be minimized to the extent possible. While no performance standard is set for this time period, IAs are encouraged to conduct additional research or follow-up with purchasers if an LOR does not reach actionable status within 30 days of receipt. Even though the LOR is considered actionable, further information may be needed to complete LOA document processing. "LOR Complete" criteria can be found in Table C5.T4B. and these criteria must be fully met, in addition to the criteria located in Table C5.T4A., for an LOR to be considered complete. Requests for Information will be sent to the purchaser to address remaining issues prior to entry of the "LOR Complete" date in DSAMS. The "LOR Actionable" milestone may be entered more than once on a case document if there is a significant change to previously provided requirements, in accordance with Section C5.2.5.3.

Synced 11 September 2026 · View on samm.dsca.mil

Within five days of LOR receipt, the IA must validate the LOR to confirm that the international partner is eligible for FMS and that there are no sanctions in place, ensure the item may be sold, ensure the request was received through proper channels, and confirm that the country is authorized Dependable Undertaking. The IA loads the LOR data into the Defense Security Assistance Management System (DSAMS), the DSCA-managed data system used for case development and implementation, and acknowledges receipt of the LOR to the international partner. Within ten days of LOR receipt, the IA establishes the case in DSAMS and tasks organizations to compile the LOA data (LOAD) that will be used in preparing the case.

There may be many USG agencies not identified here that need to review an LOR and a proposed offer. The type and breadth of the USG reviews vary to a large extent depending on the items being requested. It is the responsibility of the IA to ensure that the correct USG organizations have the opportunity to review the LOR. To the extent possible, the required reviews should occur concurrently to minimize the response time to the international partner.

LOR Advisory and LORs Requiring Unique Review

In some instances, DSCA may need to prepare an LOR Advisory to notify the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (A&S) and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of certain proposed sales. The SAMM C5.2.6 describes LOR Advisories and how they are processed. Table C5.T6 of the SAMM identifies the types of defense articles requiring either an LOR Advisory or some other type of special review. Each entry in the table provides a hyperlink to either a specific form or to a specific section of the SAMM explaining the unique review process for that item. An LOR Advisory does not replace required disclosure or releasability actions being worked by the MILDEPs.

References

Drawn exclusively from publicly available authorities.

SAMM

SAMM C5.2.5.2.2 — Letter of Request Actionable.

Pipeline stageLOR Assessment GuideWhat makes a Letter of Request actionable?GuideWhat happens after a Letter of Request is submitted?

How long does Foreign Military Sales Letter of Request assessment take?

How long does Letter of Request assessment take?

References

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