Security Assistance Reform: "Section 1206" Background and Issues for Congress

Abstract

Section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2006, as amended and regularly extended, provides the Secretary of Defense with authority to train and equip foreign military forces for two specified purposes -- counterterrorism and stability operations -- and foreign security forces for counterterrorism operations. Section 1206 authority now extends through FY2017. The FY2014 NDAA (P.L. 113-66) expanded the scope of Section 1206 authority considerably. Previously, assistance for counterterrorism (CT) purposes was limited to foreign military forces and non-military maritime security forces. The expanded scope for CT assistance includes all types of security forces. The Department of Defense (DoD) values this authority as an important tool to train and equip military partners. Funds may be obligated only with the concurrence of the Secretary of State. Through 2009, DoD used Section 1206 authority primarily to provide counterterrorism (CT) support. Since FY2010, Section 1206 authority has also been used to provide significant assistance to train and equip foreign military forces for military and stability operations in which U.S. forces participate. Currently, there is a cap of $350 million on Section 1206 obligations per fiscal year. Total funding thus far for Section 1206 programs since its inception in FY2006 is some $2.2 billion. During this period, Section 1206 funding supported bilateral programs in over 40 countries, several multilateral programs, and an associated global human rights program. The FY2014 programs notified to Congress thus far total over $290 million. These provide assistance to enable 10 European countries to participate in the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, as well as assistance to five African countries. Some Members have been concerned with several issues related to Section 1206 authority, both narrow and broad.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 04, 2014
Accession Number
ADA601565

Entities

People

  • Nina M. Serafino

Organizations

  • Library of Congress

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Autonomy
  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combatant Commanders
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Department Of State
  • Foreign Relations
  • Governments
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Law
  • Military Education
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Security
  • Unified Combatant Commands
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Personnel Management and Statistics in the Military and Department of Defense