This office serves as a primary point of contact for Congress, other agencies, and the public for those programs.

[5] This office also: The Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear, Chemical & Biological Defense Programs' functions can be traced back to the US Department of Defense's Military Liaison Committee (MLC), formed in the early Cold War to coordinate military requirements with the United States Atomic Energy Commission.

It addressed matters of policy, programming, and funding of the military application of atomic energy.

99-661, passed in November 1986) abolished the Military Liaison Committee, replacing it with the Nuclear Weapons Council.

Congress insisted that the Pentagon maintain the office, arguing it was necessary to ensure appropriate senior-level policy oversight and implementation guidance within the Department of Defense.