Who can submit a Letter of Request in Foreign Military Sales, and to whom?

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.

The senior, in-country, U.S. coordinating and supervising body, headed by the chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission, and composed of the senior member of each represented U.S. department or agency, as desired by the chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission.

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.

Defense articles for which special export controls are warranted because of the capacity of such articles for substantial military utility or capability. These items are identified on the U.S. Munitions List in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations by an asterisk preceding the item category listing.

A unified or specified command with a broad continuing mission under a single commander established and so designated by the President, through the Secretary of Defense and with the advice and assistance of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Also called CCMD.

Any item of Significant Military Equipment on the U.S. Munitions List having a nonrecurring research and development cost of more than $50 million or a total production cost of more than $200 million. Also defined in section 47 (6), Arms Export Control Act.

The basic U.S. law providing the authority and general rules for the conduct of Foreign Military Sales and commercial sales of defense articles, defense services, and training. The Arms Export Control Act (AECA) came into existence with the passage of the Foreign Military Sales Act (FMSA) of 1968. An amendment in the International Security Assistance and AECA of 1976 changed the name of FMSA to the AECA.

Any weapon, weapons system, munition, aircraft, vessel, boat, or other implement of war;

Any service, test, inspection, repair, training, publication, technical or other assistance, or defense information used for the purpose of furnishing military assistance or sales of the United States, but does not include military education and training activities under section 2347 of the FAA (22 U.S.C 2347) or design and construction services under section 29 of the AECA.

The U.S. Munitions List is an enumeration of defense articles and defense services and is published in the Department of State's International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Costs funded by a Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation appropriation to develop or improve a product or technology either through contract or in-house effort. NC also includes one-time costs incurred in support of previous production of a specified model and costs incurred in support of a total projected production run. See "Nonrecurring Production Costs" and "Nonrecurring Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Costs."

The Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military Departments, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Combatant Commands, the DoD Office of the Inspector General, the Defense agencies, and DoD field activities.

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.