Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement

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Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement are negotiated on a bilateral basis with US allies or coalition partners that allow US forces to exchange most common types of support, including food, fuel, transportation, ammunition, and equipment. The agreement does not, in any way commit a country to any military action.

As of mid 2004, the US had ACSAs with 76 countries, including most NATO nations, as well as the NATO Maintenance and Supply Agency (NAMSA), NATO Allied Command Transformation, and SHAPE. ACSAs diminish logistics burdens and are considered vital logistics enablers by providing on site commanders increased interoperability, enhanced operational readiness and cost effective joint support. The ACSA accomplishes this by establishing a mechanism to provide logistical supplies between two parties in exchange for reimbursement either in cash, replacement in kind, or equal value exchange.

[edit] History

The Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) statute (formerly known as "NATO Mutual Support Act") was enacted to simplify exchanges of logistic support, supplies, and services between the United States and other NATO forces. It was subsequently amended in 1986, 1992, and 1994 to permit ACSAs with the governments of eligible non-NATO countries. It also requires equal-value exchanges (EVEs) of logistic support, supplies, and services and allows ACSAs with United Nations organizations and to authorize the loan or lease of equipment. Annual reports are required listing all ACSA transactions in the previous fiscal year and projecting requirements for the next fiscal year.

The ACSA authorities provide the combatant commanders and the Service component or sub-unified commands the means to acquire and provide mutual logistic support during training, exercises and military operations, or to permit expedited access to the logistics assets of foreign country armed forces to satisfy the logistics support requirements of deployed US Armed Forces.