What systems are used to execute Foreign Military Sales cases?

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.

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.

System used by the U.S. Navy to manage the execution and accounting of all Foreign Military Sales cases.

A financial system providing DoD-level financial management functions for the security assistance (SA) program. This includes centralized Foreign Military Sales (FMS) trust fund accounting, foreign customer billing, and financial management reporting. DIFS consolidates FMS data from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and other implementing agencies, and provides efficient accountability for oversight of the financial and program management aspects of SA.

Activities undertaken by the DoD to encourage and enable international partners to work with the United States to achieve strategic objectives. It includes all DoD interactions with foreign defense and security establishments, including all DoD-administered security assistance programs, that: build defense and security relationships that promote specific U.S. security interests, including all international armaments cooperation activities and security assistance activities; develop allied and friendly military capabilities for self-defense and multinational operations; and provide U.S. forces with peacetime and contingency access to host nations.

The planning, negotiating, and implementation of supporting logistics arrangements between nations, their forces and agencies. It includes furnishing logistics support (major end items, materiel, and/or services) to, or receiving logistics support from, one or more friendly foreign governments, international organizations, or military forces, with or without reimbursement. It also includes planning and actions related to the intermeshing of a significant element, activity, or component of the military logistics systems or procedures of the United States with those of one or more foreign governments, international organizations, or military forces on a temporary or permanent basis. International logistics involves planning and actions related to the utilization of U.S. logistics, policies, systems, and/or procedures to meet requirements of one or more foreign governments, international organizations, or forces.

Any program, activity (including an exercise), or interaction of the Department of Defense with the security establishment of a partner or international organization to achieve a purpose as follows:

To build and develop allied and friendly security capabilities for self-defense and multinational operations.

To provide the armed forces with access to the partner or international organization during peacetime or a contingency operation.

To build relationships that promote specific United States security interests.

A process for international customers to file a complaint with the DoD for product loss, quality deficiencies, damage, and various other problems associated with the delivery of material under the Foreign Military Sales program.

A DSCA-managed web-based tool for international purchasers, purchaser agents (e.g., freight forwarders), and USG personnel with appropriate permissions that provides information on U.S. Foreign Military Sales Letters of Offer and Acceptance and other key Security Cooperation programs and processes. The data is sourced from Defense Security Assistance Management System and the Military Department's case execution systems.

A broad base of logistics transactions and procedures designed to meet DoD requirements to establish standard data elements, codes, forms, transaction formats (both legacy 80 record position and Defense Logistics Management System) and procedures to requisition, release/issue, and dispose of materiel and prepare related documents. It prescribes uniform procedures and time standards for the interchange of logistics information relating to requisitioning, supply advice, supply status, cancellation, materiel release/issue, lateral redistribution, materiel return processes, materiel obligation validation, contractor access to government sources of supply, and selected security assistance processes. The provisions apply to the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the Military Departments, the Joint Staff, the Combatant Commands, and Defense Agencies. It also applies, by agreement, to external organizations conducting logistics business operations with DoD including:

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.

An information system used by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to process and manage data related to Air Force Materiel Command negotiations, acquisition, and physical delivery for international logistics support requirements in support of the USAF security assistance mission.

The actual possession of a Foreign Military Sales shipment by the partner at its final destination, regardless of shipping method.

A financial and logistical tracking system used by the U.S. Air Force for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) cases. It provides for the creation and maintenance of FMS case file data for case planning, execution, and management. This central collection point performs unique FMS accounting functions in real-time with on-line interactive financial management capabilities and updating/reporting operations that interface with other systems during the life of a case. Such functions include Obligational Authority (OA), commitments, expenditure authority, disbursement of funds, customer billing, total financial reporting, case oversight, and delivery of goods including line and case closure.

The sum of (1) budget authority provided for a given fiscal year, (2) balances of amounts brought forward from prior years that remain available for obligation, and (3) amounts authorized to be credited to a specific fund or account during that year, including transfers between funds or accounts.

Authority issued by Defense Finance and Accounting Service Security Cooperation Accounting to a certifying officer or a disbursing activity authorizing the subsequent disbursement of a Foreign Military Sales country’s funds when such funds are available.

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.