Guide

Can a Foreign Military Sales purchaser sell back spare parts it no longer needs?

Updated 3 October 2026Checked against the SAMM: 26 September 2026

Yes, through Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services (WWRS), which the U.S. Air Force runs for DSCA under Section 21(m) of the Arms Export Control Act. A purchaser can return fully functioning defense articles it bought through Foreign Military Sales or Direct Commercial Sales, if they are not Significant Military Equipment, on a new case with a WWRS services line. The Department of War then resells them to other partners or uses them itself. Buyers order through a blanket order case, never a Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement, and WWRS fills a requisition only if the article is in stock and priced below current Department of War pricing.

Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services (WWRS) lets a purchaser return a fully functional spare part it no longer needs, on a new FMS case with the WWRS services line, and lets another purchaser buy it through a blanket order requisition. WWRS fills the requisition only if the article is in stock and priced below the current DoW price; otherwise the requisition passes to the next source of supply. Every article passes through DoW on the way: the seller ships it to the in-transit inspection point, and from there it goes to the buyer.

How a spare part changes hands through WWRS · Current as of 30 September 2026 · SAMM Appendix 8, Section 21(m) · C6.4.9 · Download PNG

Can a Foreign Military Sales purchaser sell back spare parts it no longer needs?

WWRS is a program designed to redistribute excess spare parts and support equipment acquired by international partners. Items available through WWRS must be U.S.-origin items in operating condition. WWRS is designed to be self-funding through the collection of a redistribution service fee assessed on the sales price of the materiel sold. WWRS can be considered a virtual warehouse of assets used to fill FMS requisitions. WWRS may not include significant military equipment (SME). An approved LOA is the authority to purchase the WWRS listed materiel. International partners submit their list of excess items for sale through the WWRS program office at AFSAC. AFSAC posts the items to the WWRS website. Prices are determined by the seller. Buyers purchase items listed on the WWRS by submitting a supply requisition against a blanket order case (not a CLSSA case). Once a buyer requisitions the item, the seller is instructed by AFSAC to ship the materiel to the in-transit inspection point. After inspection and sanitization, the item is shipped to the buyer. Using this process ensures no third-country transfer violations.

SAMM AP8.S21m.2.2 — Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services.

Pursuant to AECA, Section 21(m) (22 U.S.C. 2761), the Director, DSCA has approved the Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services (WWRS) program and delegated its management to the U.S. Air Force (USAF). It provides a mechanism for partners to transfer to the DoD defense articles that were purchased under FMS or purchased under Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) for sale to other partners through an LOA or to the DoD.

Defense Articles Not Provided.

The following defense articles may not be provided through WWRS: Major Defense Equipment (MDE), SME, Excess Defense Articles (EDA), parachutes, explosive ordnance items, commercial items of materiel more readily provided from in-country, controlled medical items, modification kits, ozone depleting substances, technical data packages (TDP) or other similar documentation that conveys manufacturing process information, publications, cryptographic equipment, classified materiel, items subject to a release approval, and initial spare parts. Further, any defense article that has a shelf life of less than twelve months is not provided through WWRS.

Synced 30 September 2026 · View on samm.dsca.mil

SAMM C6.4.9.1 — Returns under Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services.

The Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services (WWRS) program provides a mechanism for FMS partners to sell and return defense articles to the DoD that were purchased under FMS. Returns may be accepted if the defense article was previously provided under the AECA, is not Significant Military Equipment (SME), and is in fully functioning condition without need of repair or rehabilitation. In addition, there must be either a DoD or FMS-funded requirement for the defense article. For FMS-funded requirements, sensitive defense articles that require export controls and release determinations may not be provided to other FMS partners through the return process. The WWRS return program should primarily be used for instances where an FMS partner initiates a request for the DoD to accept the return of non-SME defense articles that it previously purchased through FMS on a partner-funded LOA. Subsequent transfers to a foreign partner remain subject to the applicable policies, regulations, and agreements governing its sale, transfer, and use. See Appendix 8 - Section 21(m) on the Return of Defense Articles for additional guidance.

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

SAMM AP8.S21m.6.1 — Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services Sellers.

For Foreign Military Sales (FMS) partners to return non-significant military equipment (SME) back to the DoD, the items must be fully functional defense articles purchased under FMS or Direct Commercial Sales (DCS), and the foreign partner must establish a new FMS case with an Implementing Agency (IA) to provide for the return of the defense article(s). The FMS case must include the Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services (WWRS) services line using Military Articles and Services List (MASL) “WWWRED1STSERV.” The WWRS services line can be on a stand-alone case or can be included on an FMS case with other lines. The IA is not required to develop a Manpower Travel Data Sheet (MTDS) for WWRS services because the USG manpower funding to support the WWRS program is already included on the WWRS services line as a percentage of defense articles sold.

For WWRS seller stand-alone cases, the Case Category and Case Nickname must be WWRS.

The Terms of Sale requirements are as follows:

For WWRS seller stand-alone cases, the Letter of Offer and Acceptance (LOA) must be “Cash With Acceptance - Balance as Billed” or “FMS Credit (Non-Repayable)”.
For cases with other lines and the WWRS services line, the Terms of Sale is based on the other lines on the case.

The initial deposit requirements for LOA are as follows:

For Cash with Acceptance – Balance as Billed,” on WWRS stand-alone cases, the initial deposit for the LOA will be equal to five percent of the WWRS LOA line value plus 35 percent of the LOA administrative surcharge. When amending an existing case/line, the Amount Due with Amendment Acceptance will only be 35 percent of the LOA administration surcharge increase. There are no quarterly payments on WWRS stand-alone cases.
For “FMS Credit (Non-Repayable),” the initial deposit is 100 percent of the WWRS case/line value. This Term of Sale does not include a payment schedule. Upon acceptance, 100 percent of the funds are due when amending an existing case/line.
If there is a request to add a WWRS Services line to an existing LOA that is not only for WWRS Services, then the Terms of Sale used for the existing LOA apply. The added WWRS Services line value will be incorporated into the existing payment schedule for the LOA being amended. The FMS purchaser will pay 100 percent of the WWRS Services line value during the quarterly payment schedule process, even if no sales occur. Any unused funds can be returned through a drawdown modification or during case closure.

For any WWRS services line on a LOA, the IA will include the standard WWRS Program Requirements note in Appendix 6. Further, in the WWRS line description note, the IA will state “Note XX. LINE XXX – WORLDWIDE WAREHOUSE REDISTRIBUTION SERVICES. This line provides Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services (WWRS).”

The WWRS seller LOA does not include the cost of transporting the defense articles to the in-transit inspection point. The cost and arrangement are the seller’s responsibility and can be done with a designated freight forwarder or a commercial entity.

All basic cases not managed by the USAF that include the WWRS services line need an approval letter from the USAF WWRS program office as part of the case package sent to DSCA (Office of International Operations, Global Execution Directorate, Case Writing and Development Division (IOPS/GEX/CWD)), in addition to the case package requirements in Section C5.6.11.3.

Synced 30 September 2026 · View on samm.dsca.mil

SAMM AP8.S21m.6.2 — Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services Buyers.

WWRS is a source of supply for FMS requisitions. All FMS-eligible purchasers can purchase eligible defense articles through WWRS. For FMS purchasers, a blanket order materiel line for spares or support equipment must be used. Cooperative Logistics Supply Support Arrangement (CLSSA) cases cannot be used to purchase through WWRS. The WWRS program office does not need to be advised for each eligible purchase to be filled by WWRS. FMS purchasers can use their existing Army, Navy, or Air Force FMS blanket order requisition cases or lines to order WWRS-listed articles found on the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center WWRS website. FMS purchasers can direct requisitions to WWRS using Routing Identifier Code (RIC) “FWW” and routing media process code of “R” in cc 71 using the A01 format of the Military Standard Requisitioning and Issue Procedure (MILSTRIP). Likewise, FMS purchasers can use RIC “FNH” to first look at WWRS as a potential source of supply (SOS). The WWRS program office will fill the requisition if there is current inventory, and it is priced below current DoD pricing. Otherwise, the requisition passes to the next source of supply. FMS purchasers of WWRS articles are responsible to pay materiel costs and transportation costs from the in-transit inspection point to the supplementary address specified in the requisition, as well as any fees associated with expedited shipment or special packaging requirements

The DoD can also accept the return of a defense article if it has a requirement for the defense article being returned and has available sufficient funds authorized and appropriated for such purpose. In order to facilitate such a transaction, the DoD organization submits a Military Interdepartmental Purchase request (MIPR) or Miscellaneous Obligations Requirements Document (MORD) to the WWRS program office.

Synced 30 September 2026 · View on samm.dsca.mil

References

Drawn exclusively from publicly available authorities.

SAMM

SAMM AP8.S21m.1.1
SAMM AP8.S21m.2.2 — Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services.
SAMM C6.4.9.1 — Returns under Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services.
SAMM AP8.S21m.6.1 — Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services Sellers.
SAMM AP8.S21m.6.2 — Worldwide Warehouse Redistribution Services Buyers.

GuideHow does a Foreign Military Sales requisition work?GuideWhat is a Blanket Order case?GuideHow does a Foreign Military Sales purchaser dispose of U.S.-origin equipment?GuideWhat is a third-party transfer?

Can a Foreign Military Sales purchaser sell back spare parts it no longer needs?

Can a Foreign Military Sales purchaser sell back spare parts it no longer needs?

References

Related