§312. Payment of personnel expenses necessary for theater security cooperation

(a) Authority.-The Secretary of Defense may pay expenses specified in subsection (b) that the Secretary considers necessary for theater security cooperation.

(b) Types of Expenses.-The expenses that may be paid under the authority provided in subsection (a) are the following:

(1) Personnel expenses.-The Secretary of Defense may pay travel, subsistence, and similar personnel expenses of, and special compensation for, the following that the Secretary considers necessary for theater security cooperation:

(A) Defense personnel of friendly foreign governments.

(B) With the concurrence of the Secretary of State, other personnel of friendly foreign governments and non-governmental personnel.

(2) Administrative services and support for liaison officers.-The Secretary of Defense may provide administrative services and support for the performance of duties by a liaison officer of a foreign country while the liaison officer is assigned temporarily to any headquarters in the Department of Defense.

(3) Travel, subsistence, and medical care for liaison officers.-The Secretary of Defense may pay the expenses of a liaison officer in connection with the assignment of that officer as described in paragraph (2) if the assignment is requested by the commander of a combatant command, the Chief of Staff of the Army, the Chief of Naval Operations, the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Chief of Space Operations, or the head of a Defense Agency as follows:

(A) Travel and subsistence expenses.

(B) Personal expenses directly necessary to carry out the duties of that officer in connection with that assignment.

(C) Expenses for medical care at a civilian medical facility if-

(i) adequate medical care is not available to the liaison officer at a local military medical treatment facility;

(ii) the Secretary determines that payment of such medical expenses is necessary and in the best interests of the United States; and

(iii) medical care is not otherwise available to the liaison officer pursuant to any treaty or other international agreement.

(D) Mission-related travel expenses if such travel meets each of the following conditions:

(i) The travel is in support of the national security interests of the United States.

(ii) The officer or official making the request directs round-trip travel from the assigned location to one or more travel locations.

(4) Conferences, seminars, and similar meetings.-The authority provided by paragraph (1) includes authority to pay travel and subsistence expenses for personnel described in that paragraph in connection with the attendance of such personnel at any conference, seminar, or similar meeting that is in direct support of enhancing interoperability between the United States armed forces and the national security forces of a friendly foreign country for the purposes of conducting operations, the provision of equipment or training, or the planning for, or the execution of, bilateral or multilateral training, exercises, or military operations.

(5) Other expenses.-In addition to the personnel expenses payable under paragraph (1), the Secretary of Defense may pay such other limited expenses in connection with conferences, seminars, and similar meetings covered by paragraph (4) as the Secretary considers appropriate in the national security interests of the United States.

(c) Limitations on Expenses Payable.-

(1) Personnel from developing countries.-The authority provided in subsection (a) may be used only for the payment of expenses of, and special compensation for, personnel from developing countries, except that the Secretary of Defense may authorize the payment of such expenses and special compensation for personnel from a country other than a developing country if the Secretary determines that such payment is necessary to respond to extraordinary circumstances and is in the national security interest of the United States.

(2) Non-defense liaison officers.-In the case of a non-defense liaison officer of a foreign country, the authority of the Secretary of Defense under subsection (a) to pay expenses specified in paragraph (2) or (3) of subsection (b) may be exercised only if the assignment of that liaison officer as a liaison officer with the Department of Defense was accepted by the Secretary of Defense with the coordination of the Secretary of State.

(d) Reimbursement.-The Secretary of Defense may provide the services and support specified in subsection (b)(2) with or without reimbursement from (or on behalf of) the recipients. The terms of reimbursement (if any) shall be specified in the appropriate agreements used to assign the liaison officer.

(e) Monetary Limitations on Expenses Payable.-

(1) Travel and subsistence expenses generally.-Travel and subsistence expenses authorized to be paid under subsection (a) may not, in the case of any individual, exceed the amount that would be paid under chapter 7 or 8 of title 37 to a member of the armed forces (of a comparable grade) for authorized travel of a similar nature.

(2) Travel and related expenses of liaison officers.-The amount paid for expenses specified in subsection (b)(3) for any liaison officer in any fiscal year may not exceed $150,000.

(f) Regulations.-The Secretary of Defense shall prescribe regulations for the administration of this section. Such regulations shall be submitted to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

(g) Administrative Services and Support Defined.-In this section, the term "administrative services and support" includes base or installation support services, office space, utilities, copying services, fire and police protection, training programs conducted to familiarize, orient, or certify liaison personnel regarding unique aspects of the assignments of the liaison personnel, and computer support.

(Added Pub. L. 114–328, div. A, title XII, §1243(a), Dec. 23, 2016, 130 Stat. 2514 ; amended Pub. L. 116–283, div. A, title IX, §924(b)(11), Jan. 1, 2021, 134 Stat. 3823 .)

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 312 was renumbered section 247 of this title.

Amendments

2021-Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 116–283 inserted "the Chief of Space Operations," after "the Commandant of the Marine Corps," in introductory provisions.