Follow the Money: Promoting Greater Transparency in Department of Defense Security Cooperation Reporting
Abstract
The scope of the Department of Defense's (DoD's) engagement insecurity cooperation has expanded significantly over the past decade as Congress has authorized new programs to develop partner military capabilities, build relationships, and facilitate contingency and peacetime access to U.S. forces to meet an ever-widening set of U.S. national security objectives. Yet, there is currently no effective means for tracking spending on security cooperation activities. DoD lacks the detailed financial data necessary to respond to new congressional reporting requirements. Moreover, DoD leaders are unable to compare security cooperation spending across countries, regions, and programs, which is critical to future prioritization and resourcing decisions. This report addresses the challenges of tracking security cooperation funding and program reporting by mapping out the data collection and reporting process of five security programs, analyzing current barriers, and describing how DoD and other agencies that collect data on foreign assistance activities have overcome some of these barriers. It then offers recommendations for streamlining the security cooperation reporting processes in preparation for meeting new requirements under the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2017
- Accession Number
- AD1085763
Entities
People
- Beth Grill
- Cynthia Clapp-wincek
- David E. Thaler
- Jeremy Boback
- Michael J. Mcnerney
- Renanah Miles
Organizations
- RAND Corporation