Guide

What can't be bought with U.S. security assistance?

Q: What can't be bought with U.S. security assistance?

Napalm, including napalm thickener, dispensers, and fuses, will not be provided through FMS or commercial contracts.

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

Foreign Military Sales will not supply napalm or riot control agents, and combat uniforms only once they are excess and carry no identification friend or foe technology. Letter of Offer and Acceptance funds do not pay a purchaser's own commercial travel, lodging, per diem or vehicle leases, apart from narrow exceptions for training. People performing defense services sold through Foreign Military Sales may not perform combatant duties, and Foreign Assistance Act funds generally may not pay for police training, although IMET-funded military police training is allowed with a host nation certification.

What can't be bought with U.S. security assistance?

Items Foreign Military Sales will not supply

SAMM C4.5.1 — Administrative Expenses for Foreign Government Representatives.

The USG does not serve as the disbursing agent for funds received under LOAs for commercial services or items directly obtained by foreign government or FMS purchaser authorized officials. This disbursing agent limitation does not apply to the use of LOA funds required for defense articles and defense services provided by DoD, another federal agency, or through a DoD procurement contract. LOA funds are not available to pay for commercial transportation, commercial lodging, per diem, or other administrative expenses obtained by foreign government or FMS purchaser authorized officials even though such expenses may be indirectly related to FMS support. Foreign purchasers may not use LOAs to lease commercial or General Services Administration (GSA) vehicles. Foreign purchasers are responsible for making and paying for these arrangements outside the FMS process.

The only exceptions to this prohibition are:

The FMS purchaser may request that LOAs funding DoD-provided training include the payment of Travel and Living Allowance (TLA), commercial vehicle expenses (limited to rental passenger vehicles, taxis, and other equivalent hired transportation) when DoD transportation services are not available, and unanticipated expenses for commercial health care for international students receiving training under an LOA. See Section C10.7.5. regarding expenses allowed on LOAs for International Military Students (IMSs).

The FMS purchaser may request that the fully nationally-funded LOA utilized for obtaining FMS support for its dedicated foreign training detachment include its detachment personnel's expenses. Foreign detachment personnel are not considered IMS because the purpose of the foreign training detachment is for the FMS purchaser to train its authorized officials, rather than obtaining DoD-provided training. Allowable expenses on nationally-funded FMS cases supporting foreign detachments include the following payments for its authorized officials while participating in the dedicated foreign training detachment on DoD installations in the United States: 1) commercial medical, travel, lodging, and/or vehicle services directly procured from a commercial source by the FMS purchaser's authorized official; and/or 2) per diem. If requested by the FMS purchaser, the authorized dependents of the detachment officials can receive disbursement services limited to payment of medical services, which are paid through the FMS LOA to a commercial provider. FMS LOA funds are not permitted to be used to provide disbursing agent support for commercial medical insurance. An FMS purchaser's dedicated foreign training detachment is limited to the FMS purchaser's authorized officials participating in non-DoD training within a dedicated space on a DoD installation in the United States for a committed multi-year time period with FMS-procured major defense equipment. Since these detachment officials are not IMS, a Security Cooperation Training Management System (SC-TMS) generated invitational travel authorization cannot be processed. The lack of a SC-TMS generated invitational travel authorization does not preclude an Implementing Agency (IA), if necessary, from issuing its own invitational travel authorization. If requested by the FMS purchaser, the FMS LOA may also include such administrative expenses for the foreign training detachment personnel while they are participating as their government's representative in DoD-hosted exercises in the United States.

For disbursing agent support, the commercial services and per diem must be on a dedicated line using the Military Articles and Services List (MASL) "ADMC0MSERV0FF, Administrative Commercial Services, FMS Purchaser Officials" that is limited to 10 percent of the current total case value. This line includes the standard Appendix 6 Administrative Disbursing Services LOA note. Further, any DoD services to administer these payments must be case-funded, as stated in Table C9.T2A.

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

Limits on defense services, advisers and police training

Personnel performing defense services sold through FMS may not perform any duties of a combatant nature. This prohibition includes any duties related to training and advising that may engage U.S. personnel in combat activities in connection with performance of those defense services. Within forty- eight hours of the existence of (or a change in the status of) significant hostilities or terrorist acts, which may endanger American lives or property involving a country in which U.S. personnel are performing defense services, the President shall submit a report in writing to Congress [Section 21(c), AECA].

The President shall, to the maximum extent possible and consistent with the purposes of the AECA, use civilian contract personnel in any foreign country to perform defense services sold through FMS [Section 42(f), AECA].

Advisory and training assistance conducted by military personnel assigned to overseas SA management duties shall be kept to an absolute minimum. Such advisory and training assistance shall be provided primarily by other U.S. military personnel not assigned under Section 515, FAA, and who are detailed for limited periods to perform special tasks [Section 515(b), FAA].

None of the funds appropriated under the authority of the FAA shall be used to provide training or advice or to provide financial support for police, prisons, or other law enforcement forces of any foreign government. This prohibition does not apply to assistance and training in maritime law enforcement and other maritime skills, nor shall it apply to a country with long-standing democratic tradition that does not have standing armed forces or any consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights [Section 660, FAA]. This prohibition is not provided for AECA-authorized programs; however, prior coordinated approval from the Department of State and DSCA is required.

References

Drawn exclusively from publicly available authorities.

SAMM

SAMM C4.5.4 — Napalm.
SAMM C4.5.5 — Riot Control Agents.
SAMM C4.5.6 — Military Uniforms.
SAMM C4.5.1 — Administrative Expenses for Foreign Government Representatives.
SAMM C4.5.7.3.1
SAMM C10.6.4.4.1 — Military Police Training.

GuideWhich weapons have their own rules in U.S. arms sales?GuideWhat is Leahy vetting?GuideWhat is IMET?GuideWhat are the restrictions on using Foreign Military Financing?

What can't be bought with U.S. security assistance?

What can't be bought with U.S. security assistance?

Items Foreign Military Sales will not supply

Limits on defense services, advisers and police training

References

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