The External Liaison Office of the People's Revolutionary Military Commission was founded in 1951. After the
Ministry of National Defense was founded in 1954, the PLA used the External Liaison Office as a base to establish the Foreign Affairs Office (FAO), under the dual authority of the
Intelligence Bureau of the General Staff Department and the General Office of the Ministry of National Defense (MND); in 1959, it was placed solely under the Ministry's General Office. In January 1964, the FAO was expanded to become the Foreign Affairs Bureau of the General Office of the MND. It created its own General Office, as well as three divisions; a military attaché division, a military assistance division, and a research division. In 1965, the bureau became subordinate to the General Staff Department and underwent unknown reorganizational changes. In December 1998, the bureau's name was changed to the Foreign Affairs Office; it was also promoted to become a corps-level organization. The PLA went through
significant organizational restructuring on 11 January 2016; and the Office was renamed to the Office for International Military Cooperation and became the 13th ranking department of the Central Military Commission. It is also believed to be "
one institution with two names" with the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Ministry of National Defense. == Organization ==