Office of the Historian

190. National Security Decision Memorandum 3421

Washington, December 16, 1976.

TO

  • The Secretary of State
  • The Secretary of Defense
  • The Director, Office of Management and Budget
  • The Director, Arms Control and Disarmament Agency
  • The Director of Central Intelligence

SUBJECT

  • Organizations to Perform Security Assistance Functions

The President has reviewed the study of the Interdepartmental Group for Political-Military Affairs on MAAG Requirements and has noted agency views.2 The President has decided to establish or continue in the countries indicated the following organizations to perform [Page 642] security assistance functions in Fiscal Year 1978. Personnel and funding levels will be those established in the President’s Fiscal Year 1978 budget request.

Defense Field Offices
Ethiopia Kuwait3 Saudi Arabia918
Greece Liberia Spain
Indonesia Morocco Thailand
Iran919/4 Pakistan Tunisia921
Japan Philippines Turkey
Jordan Portugal Zaire
Korea Republic of China
Military Groups
Argentina Dominican Republic922 Panama
Bolivia Ecuador923 Paraguay5
Brazil El Salvador925 Peru926
Chile927 Guatemala Uruguay928
Colombia Honduras929 Venezuela
Costa Rica930 Nicaragua
Offices of Defense Cooperation
Australia India
Austria Italy
Belgium Netherlands
Denmark Norway
France United Kingdom
Federal Republic of Germany

The Secretary of State, in close cooperation with the Secretary of Defense, should propose legislation which will:

• Authorize establishment of Defense Field Offices in the countries specified above.

• Provide for continued operation of the Latin American military groups based on their traditional role of representation.

• Permit, without specific congressional approval, the assignment to the chief of each U.S. diplomatic mission of up to six military personnel to perform security assistance functions.

[Page 643]

• Allow Defense Attaché Offices to continue to perform security assistance functions in countries where either manpower and cost savings are effected or political sensitivities are paramount.

If these amendments to the existing law are not forthcoming, Office of Defense Cooperation will be established or Defense Field Offices will be proposed where necessary.

Brent Scowcroft
  1. Source: Ford Library, National Security Council, Institutional Files, Box 68, Institutional Files—NSDMs, NSDM 342—Organizations to Perform Security Assistance Functions. Confidential. A copy was sent to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.↩
  2. See footnote 2, Document 189.↩
  3. *The Defense Field Office will be replaced by an Office of Defense Cooperation if an adequate level of reimbursement can be obtained from the host country.↩
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  6. **Six or less members of the U.S. military will be assigned to the Defense Field Office or Military Group.↩
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  10. ***Three or less members of the U.S. military will be assigned to the Military Group.↩
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