Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfers

RSAT is one of the offices that make up the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which links the Department of State and the Department of Defense on international security, security assistance and defense trade issues. == Functions ==

Arms transfer review and Foreign Military Sales Under State Department guidance, RSAT manages the sale and export of U.S.-origin defense articles and services to foreign governments through the government-to-government Foreign Military Sales program and related grant and loan authorities, including Foreign Military Financing and Excess Defense Articles. Congressional Research Service reporting describes RSAT as the office responsible for ensuring that all FMS cases transmitted by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) are reviewed within the State Department for consistency with U.S. foreign policy and national security, including considerations related to human rights, regional stability and the risk of misuse or diversion. Commentary in Defense News and other outlets has highlighted RSAT's role in arms export reform efforts and in managing record levels of government-to-government arms sales in the late 2010s. == Role in assistance to Ukraine ==

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, RSAT became one of the principal State Department offices responsible for clearing large volumes of U.S. security assistance and arms transfers to the Ukrainian government. Subsequent analyses by the Government Accountability Office and other oversight bodies have examined RSAT's coordination with the Department of Defense on tracking and monitoring U.S.-origin equipment in Ukraine and on managing transfers of damaged or destroyed systems. == Oversight and assessments ==

Academic literature and policy analysis have treated RSAT as a significant node in the U.S. arms transfer decision-making process, linking strategic, economic and human-rights considerations. A 2019 analysis in Strategic Studies Quarterly described RSAT and related offices as central to how the United States uses conventional arms transfers to advance both security and economic objectives. Several oversight reports have identified challenges in RSAT's ability to monitor compliance with arms transfer agreements. A 2025 Government Accountability Office review concluded that the office relied heavily on DSCA and U.S. embassy security cooperation personnel to identify potential violations of transfer conditions and recommended clearer guidance on what incidents should be reported and how quickly. A Department of Defense Inspector General evaluation the same year recommended that RSAT and the Department of Defense clarify responsibilities for approving demilitarization or disposal of sensitive equipment requiring enhanced end-use monitoring. Independent research organizations have similarly called for stronger coordination between RSAT and defense agencies to expand end-use monitoring and reduce the risk of civilian harm associated with U.S.-supplied weapons. == See also ==