§312 Payment of Personnel Expenses Necessary for Theater Security Cooperation

Summary

The Secretary of Defense can pay certain costs needed to work with friendly foreign forces in a region. Those costs can include travel, housing, and special pay for foreign defense personnel and, if the Secretary of State agrees, other foreign government or non-government people. The Department can give office and base support to foreign liaison officers temporarily assigned to Defense headquarters. If a commander asks for the assignment, the Department can also pay a liaison officer’s travel, daily expenses, mission travel, and some personal costs. Medical care at a civilian hospital can be paid if a military clinic can’t provide adequate care, the Secretary approves it as necessary for U.S. interests, and no treaty already covers it. The Department can pay travel and food for people attending meetings that improve working together and can cover some other meeting costs. Payments are usually for people from developing countries, unless the Secretary decides it’s needed for national security in special cases. Non-defense liaison officers must be accepted by the Secretary of Defense with coordination from the Secretary of State. The Department may require payment back under agreed terms. Travel payments for any person cannot exceed the amount a similar U.S. service member would get under chapters 7 or 8 of title 37, and a liaison officer’s total expenses in a fiscal year cannot be more than $150,000. The Secretary must write rules to run this program and send them to the Armed Services committees. “Administrative services and support” covers things like base services, office space, utilities, copying, fire and police, orientation training, and computer help.