United States military aid

Aspect of American foreign policy

Main article: United States foreign aid

The United States government first recognized the usefulness of foreign aid as a tool of diplomacy in World War II. It was believed that it would promote liberal capitalist models of development in other countries and that it would enhance national security.[1]

The United States is the largest contributor of military aid to foreign countries in the world, with its Department of Defense providing funding and/or American military hardware aid to over 150 countries annually for defense purposes.

## Military funding programs

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There are three main programs where military funding is allocated:

1. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) provides grants for the acquisition of U.S. defense equipment, services, and training. These grants enable friends and allies to improve their defense capabilities.[2][3][4][5] FMF is allowed under the Arms Export Control Act (AECA), which as amended [22 U.S.C. 2751, et. seq.], authorizes the President to finance procurement of defense articles and services for foreign countries and international organizations.[6] The goals of FMF are:[7][8][9]

* Promoting national security by contributing to regional and global stability
* Strengthening military support for democratically elected governments and containing transnational threats, including terrorism and trafficking in narcotics, weapons, and persons
* Fostering closer military relationships between the U.S. and recipient nations
2. Peacekeeping Operations (PKO) provide voluntary support for international peacekeeping activities. These funds support non-U.N. operations and training in response to a nation’s crisis.[10] The goals of PKO are:

* Promoting increased involvement of regional organizations in conflict resolution
* Helping leverage support for multinational efforts in the event of a nation's crisis
3. The International Military Education and Training program (IMET) offers military training on a grant basis to foreign military officials.[11] The goals of IMET are:

* Encouraging effective defense relationships
* Promoting interoperability with U.S. and coalition forces
* Exposing foreign civilian and military officials to democratic values, military professionalism, and international norms of human rights

Some examples of this would include the United States' efforts in Colombia and South Korea. Military aid has been successful in stopping insurgency, providing stability, and ending conflicts within the region. In South Korea, US military aid has been beneficial for the maintenance of national security, economic and social development, and civilization as a whole.[12]

In many other cases, military aid has laid the groundwork for other forms of aid. This aid includes building schools to promote education, providing clean drinking water, and further stabilizing food production. Without military aid, this development would have been impossible.[citation needed]

## Criticisms

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Particular targets of criticism include

* Funds appropriated to the State Department and Defense Department represent the vast majority of unclassified military aid and assistance.[13]
* The United States gives the same amount of money to its top five aid recipients as they give to the rest of the world.[14]
* Generally, increasing levels of US military aid significantly reduces cooperative foreign policy behavior with the United States.[15]

## Table

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The following table shows which countries does the United States provide military aid and/or assistance, per USAID.[16]

Countries by U.S. Military Aid  Country/Region | 2022 | 2023

|
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Afghanistan | No  | No
Albania | Yes  | Yes
Algeria | Yes  | Yes
Angola | Yes  | Yes
Antigua and Barbuda | Yes  | Yes
Argentina | Yes  | Yes
Armenia | Yes  | Yes
Azerbaijan | Yes  | Yes
Bahamas | Yes  | Yes
Bahrain | Yes  | Yes
Bangladesh | Yes  | Yes
Barbados | Yes  | Yes
Belarus | No  | No
Belize | Yes  | Yes
Benin | Yes  | Yes
Bhutan | No  | Yes
Bolivia | No  | No
Bosnia and Herzegovina | Yes  | Yes
Botswana | Yes  | Yes
Brazil | Yes  | Yes
Bulgaria | Yes  | Yes
Burkina Faso | No  | No
Burundi | No  | No
Cambodia | No  | No
Cameroon | Unknown or unclear  | Yes
Cape Verde | Yes  | Yes
Central African Republic | No  | Yes
Chad | Yes  | Unknown or unclear
Chile | Yes  | Yes
China | No  | No
Colombia | Yes  | Yes
Comoros | Yes  | Yes
Congo | Yes  | Yes
Costa Rica | Yes  | Yes
Croatia | Yes  | Yes
Cuba | No  | No
Cyprus | Yes  | Yes
Czech Republic | Yes  | Yes
Democratic Republic of the Congo | Yes  | Yes
Djibouti | Yes  | Yes
Dominica | Yes  | Yes
Dominican Republic | Yes  | Yes
East Timor | Yes  | Yes
Ecuador | Yes  | Yes
Egypt | Yes  | Yes
El Salvador | Yes  | Yes
Equatorial Guinea | Yes  | Yes
Eritrea | No  | No
Estonia | Yes  | Yes
Eswatini | Yes  | Yes
Ethiopia | Yes  | No
Fiji | Yes  | Yes
Gabon | Yes  | Yes
Gambia | Yes  | Yes
Georgia | Yes  | Yes
Germany | Yes  | Yes
Ghana | Yes  | Yes
Greece | Yes  | Yes
Grenada | Yes  | Yes
Guatemala | Yes  | Yes
Guinea | No  | No
Guinea-Bissau | Yes  | Yes
Guyana | Yes  | Yes
Haiti | Yes  | Yes
Honduras | Yes  | Yes
Hungary | Yes  | Yes
India | Yes  | Yes
Indonesia | Yes  | Yes
Iran | No  | No
Iraq | Yes  | Yes
Israel | Yes  | Yes
Ivory Coast | Yes  | Yes
Jamaica | Yes  | Yes
Jordan | Yes  | Yes
Kazakhstan | Yes  | Yes
Kenya | Yes  | Yes
Kosovo | Yes  | Yes
Kyrgyzstan | Yes  | Yes
Laos | Yes  | Yes
Latvia | Yes  | Yes
Lebanon | Yes  | Yes
Lesotho | Yes  | Yes
Liberia | Yes  | Yes
Libya | No  | No
Lithuania | Yes  | Yes
Madagascar | Yes  | Yes
Malawi | Yes  | Yes
Malaysia | Yes  | Yes
Maldives | Yes  | Yes
Mali | No  | No
Malta | Yes  | Yes
Mauritania | Yes  | Yes
Mauritius | Yes  | Yes
Mexico | Yes  | Yes
Moldova | Yes  | Yes
Mongolia | Yes  | Yes
Montenegro | Yes  | Yes
Morocco | Yes  | Yes
Mozambique | Yes  | Yes
Myanmar | No  | No
Namibia | Yes  | Yes
Nepal | Yes  | Yes
Nicaragua | No  | No
Niger | Yes  | Yes
Nigeria | Yes  | Yes
North Korea | No  | No
North Macedonia | Yes  | Yes
Oman | Yes  | Yes
Pakistan | Unknown or unclear  | Yes
Palau | Unknown or unclear  | Yes
Palestine | No  | No
Panama | Yes  | Yes
Papua New Guinea | Yes  | Yes
Paraguay | Yes  | Yes
Peru | Yes  | Yes
Philippines | Yes  | Yes
Poland | Yes  | Yes
Romania | Yes  | Yes
Russia | No  | No
Rwanda | Yes  | Unknown or unclear
Saint Kitts and Nevis | Unknown or unclear  | Yes
Saint Lucia | Yes  | Yes
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Yes  | Yes
São Tomé and Principe | Yes  | Yes
Senegal | Yes  | Yes
Serbia | Yes  | Yes
Seychelles | Yes  | Yes
Sierra Leone | Yes  | Yes
Slovakia | Yes  | Yes
Slovenia | Yes  | Yes
Solomon Islands | No  | No
Somalia | Yes  | Yes
South Africa | Yes  | Yes
South Sudan | Yes  | No
Sri Lanka | Yes  | Yes
Sudan | No  | No
Suriname | Yes  | Yes
Syria | No  | No
Taiwan | Yes  | Yes
Tajikistan | Yes  | Yes
Tanzania | Yes  | Yes
Thailand | Yes  | Yes
Togo | Yes  | Yes
Tonga | Yes  | Yes
Trinidad and Tobago | Yes  | Yes
Tunisia | Yes  | Yes
Turkey | Yes  | Yes
Turkmenistan | Yes  | Yes
Uganda | Yes  | Yes
Ukraine | Yes  | Yes
Uruguay | Yes  | Yes
Uzbekistan | Yes  | Yes
Vanuatu | Yes  | Yes
Venezuela | No  | No
Vietnam | Yes  | Yes
Western Sahara | No  | No
Yemen | No  | Yes
Zambia | Yes  | Yes
Zimbabwe | No  | No

## See also

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* Military budget of the United States
* United States Foreign Military Financing
* United States Agency for International Development
* Foreign policy of the United States
* Criticism of United States foreign policy
* United States security assistance to the Palestinian National Authority
* Israel–United States military relations
* United States militarism

## References

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1. ^ Foreign Aid. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
2. ^ Foreign Military Financing Account Summary. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
3. ^ "Foreign Military Financing (FMF)". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
4. ^ "Security Assistance Team". U.S. Department of State. 24 January 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
5. ^ "Foreign Military Financing (FMF)". Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
6. ^ "Foreign Military Financing (FMF) | The Official Home of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency". www.dsca.mil. Retrieved 2018-12-28.
7. ^ "About Us - Office of Security Assistance". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
8. ^ Axelrod, Matthew Craig (April 2011). "Aid as Leverage? Understanding the U.S.-Egypt Military Relationship" (PDF). The Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
9. ^ Tarnoff, Curt; Lawson, Marian L. (29 January 2016). "Foreign Aid: An Introduction to U.S. Programs and Policy" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved 15 May 2024.
10. ^ Foreign Aid: An Introductory Overview of U.S. Programs and Policy (PDF). Retrieved 2011-03-01.
11. ^ IMET Assessment Project 2007-2008. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
12. ^ Choi, Tae Young (1989). "Effect Analysis of U.S. Military Aid to the Republic of Korea" (PDF). Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, California. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 24, 2020.
13. ^ A Citizen's Guide to Understanding U.S. Foreign Military Aid. Retrieved 2011-03-01.
14. ^ Noah GrantJust the Facts: Foreign Aid vs. Military Spending. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
15. ^ Sullivan, Patricia; Tessman, Brock; Li, Xiaojun (2011). "US Military Aid and Recipient State Cooperation". Foreign Policy Analysis. 7 (3): 275–294. doi:10.1111/j.1743-8594.2011.00138.x.
16. ^ "Foreign Assistance". Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources. Retrieved 2024-05-31.

## External links

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* Fiscal Year 2008 Budget Request: International Affairs (PDF), U.S. Congress.
* Congressional Budget Justification: Foreign Operations (PDF), Fiscal year 2008, U.S. Congress.
* Foreign Aid Explorer U.S. Agency for International Development.
* Where Does U.S. Military Aid Go? (1946-2010), PBS