Other routes into American military training

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1. Routes other than a purchase or IMET

Foreign personnel reach American training through more routes than a sales case or International Military Education and Training (IMET). Section C10.17 of the Security Assistance Management Manual lists the other programs and authorities that can provide or fund training (SAMM C10.17). Several rest on exchange, where each side trains the other’s people. Others are funded by the Defense Department for its own purposes, with partner forces taking part. What IMET itself pays for is covered in what the IMET program funds.

2. Professional military education exchanges

Section 544 of the Foreign Assistance Act authorizes reciprocal exchanges in professional military education (SAMM C10.17.7.1). Foreign military personnel may attend American institutions, other than the service academies, without charge, if their attendance is part of an international agreement. The agreements exchange students one for one each fiscal year with comparable foreign institutions, and each country pays its own students’ travel and living allowance (SAMM C10.17.7.1.1).

The manual names the institutions included: the command and staff colleges and war colleges of the military departments, the Joint Forces Staff College, the Naval Postgraduate School and the Air Force Institute of Technology (SAMM C10.17.7.1.2). Military departments may designate other schools. Requests for new agreements, or extensions, go to the general counsel of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), so that an umbrella agreement is negotiated at defense ministry level (SAMM C10.17.7.1.3). Requests for specific military departments follow once that agreement is in place (SAMM C10.17.7.1.4).

The same section authorizes flight training exchanges (SAMM C10.17.8). They must rest on an international agreement that exchanges students one for one within the same American fiscal year. Requests go to the implementing agency, with copies to DSCA. The Joint Security Cooperation Education and Training Regulation prescribes the memorandum of agreement used for these exchanges.

3. Exchanges of training and related support

Section 30A of the Arms Export Control Act authorizes training and related support for defense personnel of a friendly country or international organization. Related support includes transport, food, health services, logistics and use of facilities (SAMM C10.17.7.2). The military departments provide it. The exchanges are arranged under international agreements and fit into the combatant commander’s theater campaign plan (SAMM C10.17.7.2.1). The partner provides comparable training and support in return, within one year. If it does not, the United States must be reimbursed in full. DSCA’s general counsel drafts and negotiates the agreements, and requests go to the relevant military department with a copy to the Defense Security Cooperation University (SAMM C10.17.7.2.3 and SAMM C10.17.7.2.4). Exchanges may be individual to individual or unit to unit (SAMM C10.17.7.2.2). How they are priced is covered in waivers, exclusions and pricing exceptions.

4. Drawdowns of training

Section 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act lets the President direct a drawdown of defense services, including education and training. It requires a determination that an unforeseen emergency calls for immediate military assistance that no other law can meet (SAMM C10.17.6.1). Section 506(a)(2) allows a drawdown of military education and training on a determination that it is in the national interest (SAMM C10.17.6.2). Under both, tuition is free to the foreign government (SAMM C10.17.6.3). Travel may be paid from military department operation and maintenance funds if the recipient cannot pay. Students may use bachelor quarters and dining facilities, but no living allowance is paid.

5. Training that serves American forces

Joint Combined Exchange Training lets American special operations forces train abroad with foreign forces, under 10 U.S.C. 322 (SAMM C10.17.12). Events are planned two years ahead with the concurrence of the policy office and the State Department. The Defense Department funds the program mainly to train its own forces, and any benefit to the partner is incidental and free. The partner pays its participants’ allowances. The United States may pay the partner’s incremental expenses, such as rations, fuel, ammunition and transport, but not pay or other personnel costs.

Combatant Commander Initiative Funds, under 10 U.S.C. 166(a), let the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff fund combatant commanders for military education and training of foreign military and related civilian personnel (SAMM C10.17.4). The funds can cover transport, translation and administrative costs, within an annual limit set in law. The authority also covers force training, joint exercises, humanitarian and civic assistance, bilateral or regional cooperation programs and force protection.

6. Other programs that include training

Section 333 capacity building may include free training for foreign security forces to conduct certain operations (SAMM C10.17.13). Its training rate matches the IMET rate, plus the administrative surcharge, and it may pay students’ travel and a supplemental living allowance at the IMET rate. Counter-drug training of foreign forces, once under section 1004, now also falls under section 333 (SAMM C10.17.15). Humanitarian mine action training is run by the combatant commands in the foreign country at no charge, with the country paying its students’ allowances (SAMM C10.17.9).

Humanitarian assistance under 10 U.S.C. 2561 may include training in disaster response (SAMM C10.17.5). It is not normally given to foreign militaries, though military members are sometimes included so they understand their role in supporting civilian authorities in a disaster. The Global Peace Operations Initiative supports peacekeeping education and training with a core curriculum, and the training is bought through a sales case that identifies the initiative’s funding (SAMM C10.17.21). Under 10 U.S.C. 312, the Secretary of Defense may also pay travel and subsistence for defense personnel of developing countries at bilateral or regional conferences and seminars (SAMM C10.17.3). The Secretary must first deem attendance to be in the national security interest. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency trains foreign students in geospatial intelligence through sales cases and IMET, and tuition-free under its bilateral agreements, where the sponsoring government covers travel and per diem (SAMM C10.17.19).

Key terms

PME exchange	A one-for-one exchange of students between American and foreign military education institutions under section 544.
Flight training exchange	A one-for-one exchange of comparable flight training within the same fiscal year.
Drawdown of training	Education and training provided from Defense Department resources under section 506, tuition free.
Joint Combined Exchange Training	Special operations training abroad, funded mainly to train American forces.
Combatant Commander Initiative Funds	Funds the Chairman may give commanders for foreign military education and training.

Every statement above links to the document behind it. The full source list for this piece is on the sources page.

This page describes public United States government programs for general information. It is not legal, regulatory or procurement advice, and it does not address the facts of any particular case.

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