What is a Letter of Request in Foreign Military Sales?

The term used to identify a request from an eligible FMS participant country for the purchase of U.S. defense articles and services. The request may be in message or letter format.

A solicitation used in negotiated acquisitions to communicate government requirements to prospective contractors and to solicit a proposal.

The military department or defense agency responsible for the execution of military assistance programs. With respect to FMS, the military department or defense agency assigned responsibility by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency to prepare an LOA and to implement an FMS case. The implementing agency is responsible for the overall management of the actions that will result in delivery of the materials or services set forth in the LOA that was accepted by a foreign country or international organization.

The legal instrument used by the USG to transfer itemized defense articles, defense services, and design and construction services to foreign partners.

When used under the authorities provided in the Arms Export Control Act for Foreign Military Sales, the LOA is a binding agreement signed by the USG and the foreign partner to transfer such articles and services.

When used under Building Partnership Capacity (BPC) authorities, the BPC LOA is not signed by the Benefitting Partner.

Implementing Agencies’ (IAs) (Military Department organizations and Defense Agencies) response to requests from a foreign government or international organization (partner) for preliminary pricing and availability for international competitions and requests from authorized USG requesting authorities for building partner capacity. Furnishing of this data does not constitute a commitment for the USG to offer for sale the articles and services for which the data is provided.

The total value of the Letter of Offer and Acceptance at the time of calculation, which includes the cost of the materiel, services, all Indirect Pricing Components, administrative charges, and all accessorial charges.

One of the departments within the DoD created by the National Security Act of 1947, as amended. The Military Departments are: the Department of the Air Force, the Department of the Army, and the Department of the Navy.

Defense articles owned by the USG which are neither procured in anticipation of military assistance or sales requirements, nor procured pursuant to a military assistance or sales order. EDA are items (except construction equipment) that are in excess of the Approved Force Acquisition Objective and Approved Force Retention Stock of all DoD components at the time such articles are dropped from inventory by the supplying agency for delivery to countries or international organizations.

The U.S. government process to assess whether there is credible information that a specific individual or a specific security force unit has committed a gross violation of human rights.

A group of programs authorized by federal statutes by which the United States provides defense articles, military training, and other defense-related services by grant, lease, loan, credit, or cash sales in furtherance of national policies and objectives, and those that are funded and authorized through the Department of State to be administered by Department of Defense/Defense Security Cooperation Agency, which are considered part of security cooperation.

Term refers to either a statutory restriction imposed by Title 10 U.S.C. § 362 (DoD Leahy Law) or Section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (DOS Leahy Law) that prohibits assistance to a foreign security force unit if there is credible information that unit has committed a gross violation of human rights. Both the DOS and DoD Leahy laws allow for the remediation of tainted units.