DEFENSE SECURITY COOPERATION AGENCY
2800 DEFENSE PENTAGON
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20301-2800

9/14/2026

MEMORANDUM FOR :

DEPUTY UNDER SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE FOR INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE ARMY FOR DEFENSE EXPORTS AND COOPERATION
DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF THE NAVY FOR INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
DIRECTOR, DEFENSE CONTRACT MANAGEMENT AGENCY DIRECTOR, DEFENSE INFORMATION SYSTEMS AGENCY DIRECTOR, DEFENSE LOGISTICS AGENCY
DIRECTOR, DEFENSE THREAT REDUCTION AGENCY DIRECTOR, MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
DIRECTOR, SECURITY COOPERATION ACCOUNTING DIRECTORATE, DEFENSE FINANCE AND ACCOUNTING SERVICE, INDIANAPOLIS OPERATIONS
DIRECTOR OF CYBERSECURITY DIRECTORATE AND DEPUTY NATIONAL MANAGER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEMS, NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY

SUBJECT :

Defense Security Cooperation Agency Policy Memorandum 26-89, Performance Standards for Department of War-specific Foreign Military Sales Congressional Notification

REFERENCE :

1. Executive Order 14268, "Reforming Foreign Defense Sales to Improve Speed and Accountability," April 9, 2025
2. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), "Plan to Improve the Transparency of US. Defense Sales to Foreign Partners by Developing Metrics for Accountability," July 15, 2025
3. Department of State Action Memorandum, "Congressional Notification (CN) Metrics for Foreign Military Sales (FMS)," May 19, 2026
4. Security Assistance Management Manual Table C5.T4A., "Mandatory Criteria before LOR Actionable."
5. Security Assistance Management Manual Section C5.6.6.1., "Implementing Agencies Prepare and Submit Initial 36(b) Congressional Notification Package to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency."
6. Security Assistance Management Manual Section C5.6.5.1., "General Requirements."
7. Security Assistance Management Manual Table C5.T19. "35(b) Congressional Notification Responsibilities."

This memorandum establishes Department of War (DoW) performance standards for the DoW-specific steps of the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Congressional Notification (CN) process, per references (a) and (b). The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) is responsible for defining the performance standards for the two initial steps in the development of FMS CN packages. The Department of State's (State) responsibilities and performance standards for their respective portion of the CN process are defined in reference (c). The DoW portion of the CN process begins at the Letter of Request (LOR) Actionable milestone and ends with delivery of the CN package to State. LOR Actionable criteria are available at reference (d).

This memorandum does not change the definitions of FMS system phases.

Effective immediately, performance standards for the DoW steps of the CN process are as follows:

• Congressional Notification Package Development. From the initial LOR Actionable determination by the Implementing Agency (IA) to when the IA delivers a complete CN package to DSCA (Office of International Operations, Global Execution Directorate (IOPS/GEX)), per references (e), (f), and (g). Sub-process owner: IA.
  • 85% within 55 days.
• Congressional Notification Package Review. From DSCA receipt of a complete CN package to when DSCA delivers the CN package to State, per references (e) and (f). Sub-process owner: DSCA.
  • 85% within 10 days.

Effective immediately, the IAs shall use historical data and pricing to develop CN packages, where available, and where they are likely to provide a suitable baseline for calculating current data and pricing. CN thresholds and all associated policies pertaining to notification thresholds remain the same and are not altered by this policy memorandum. Development of the CN package and the LOA shall be completed concurrently.

No later than September 30, 2026, the DSCA (Office of Business Operations, Information Management and Technology Directorate (OBO/IMT)) will enable CN milestones in the Defense Security Assistance Management System (DSAMS) that correspond to the steps identified above. DSCA (OBO/IMT) shall also create a standard report in DSAMS that allows for necessary measurements of the DoW-owned steps. Until DSAMS is updated, sub-process owners must use existing systems or manual methods to track and maintain relevant CN data, including reasons for exceeding the standard, and provide it to DSCA upon request. IAs shall begin entering reasons in the applicable DSAMS milestone comment field for any case exceeding the above CN performance standard no less than 10 business days after DSCA implements DSAMS technical changes. Sub-process owners must document reasons for exceeding standards for their step by entering free-text reasons in the corresponding milestone comment windows to be provided in DSAMS. Free-text remarks in the pending milestone comment field should make use of the following reasons:

• Vendor pricing delays
• Partner funding issues
• Changing partner requirements (must have occurred after LOR Actionable)
• Country Team Assessment (CTA) milestone
• Releasability
• Other: (1-2 sentence explanation)

A hold in case development, known as a "CPHOLD" milestone, shall not be requested or granted for any routine step of the CN process.

Pursuant to reference (c), State records and tracks State-specific CN metrics. DSCA will record and track DoW-specific CN metrics. The DSCA (IOP/GEX) Congressional Notification Team and DSCA (Office of Administration, Performance, Improvement, and Effectiveness Directorate (ADM/PIE)) will identify opportunities for efficient CN data-sharing among CN stakeholders to facilitate an end-to-end view of CN performance.

Pursuant to this memorandum, DSCA (ADM/PIE), in coordination with State, the IA's, and the FMS Continuous Process Improvement Board (CPIB), shall expedited updates to the Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM). All resulting modifications will be published in the SAMM as quickly as possible, to ensure policy changes are clearly reflected and operationalized.

In coordination with State, the IAs, and the FMS CPIB, DSCA (ADM/PIE) will continuously review metrics data.

If you have questions regarding this memorandum, please contact DSCA (ADM/PIE) at dsca.ncr.pie.list.rads-civ-mil@mail.mil. Please reference the DSCA Policy Number and memorandum subject. For general questions about the SAMM, please contact DSCA (Office of Strategy, Plans, and Policy, Execution Policy and Analysis Directorate (SPP/EPA)) at dsca.ncr.spp.mbx.epa@mail.mil.

Mary Beth Morgan 
Acting Director