United States military aid

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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]

Contents

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

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

Particular targets of criticism include

Table

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/Region20222023
Flag of the Taliban.svg  Afghanistan NoNo
Flag of Albania.svg  Albania YesYes
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria YesYes
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola YesYes
Flag of Antigua and Barbuda.svg  Antigua and Barbuda YesYes
Flag of Argentina.svg  Argentina YesYes
Flag of Armenia.svg  Armenia YesYes
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan YesYes
Flag of the Bahamas.svg  Bahamas YesYes
Flag of Bahrain.svg  Bahrain YesYes
Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh YesYes
Flag of Barbados.svg  Barbados YesYes
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus NoNo
Flag of Belize.svg  Belize YesYes
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin YesYes
Flag of Bhutan.svg  Bhutan NoYes
Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia NoNo
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina YesYes
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana YesYes
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil YesYes
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria YesYes
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso NoNo
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi NoNo
Flag of Cambodia.svg  Cambodia NoNo
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon Unknown or unclearYes
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde YesYes
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic NoYes
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad YesUnknown or unclear
Flag of Chile.svg  Chile YesYes
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China NoNo
Flag of Colombia.svg  Colombia YesYes
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros YesYes
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Congo YesYes
Flag of Costa Rica.svg  Costa Rica YesYes
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia YesYes
Flag of Cuba.svg  Cuba NoNo
Flag of Cyprus.svg  Cyprus YesYes
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic YesYes
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo YesYes
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti YesYes
Flag of Dominica.svg  Dominica YesYes
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic YesYes
Flag of East Timor.svg  East Timor YesYes
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador YesYes
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt YesYes
Flag of El Salvador.svg  El Salvador YesYes
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea YesYes
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea NoNo
Flag of Estonia.svg  Estonia YesYes
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini YesYes
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia YesNo
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji YesYes
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon YesYes
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia YesYes
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia YesYes
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany YesYes
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana YesYes
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece YesYes
Flag of Grenada.svg  Grenada YesYes
Flag of Guatemala.svg  Guatemala YesYes
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea NoNo
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau YesYes
Flag of Guyana.svg  Guyana YesYes
Flag of Haiti.svg  Haiti YesYes
Flag of Honduras.svg  Honduras YesYes
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary YesYes
Flag of India.svg  India YesYes
Flag of Indonesia.svg  Indonesia YesYes
Flag of Iran.svg  Iran NoNo
Flag of Iraq.svg  Iraq YesYes
Flag of Israel.svg  Israel YesYes
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast YesYes
Flag of Jamaica.svg  Jamaica YesYes
Flag of Jordan.svg  Jordan YesYes
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan YesYes
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya YesYes
Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo YesYes
Flag of Kyrgyzstan.svg  Kyrgyzstan YesYes
Flag of Laos.svg  Laos YesYes
Flag of Latvia.svg  Latvia YesYes
Flag of Lebanon.svg  Lebanon YesYes
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho YesYes
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia YesYes
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya NoNo
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania YesYes
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar YesYes
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi YesYes
Flag of Malaysia.svg  Malaysia YesYes
Flag of Maldives.svg  Maldives YesYes
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali NoNo
Flag of Malta.svg  Malta YesYes
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania YesYes
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius YesYes
Flag of Mexico.svg  Mexico YesYes
Flag of Moldova.svg  Moldova YesYes
Flag of Mongolia.svg  Mongolia YesYes
Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro YesYes
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco YesYes
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique YesYes
Flag of Myanmar.svg  Myanmar NoNo
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia YesYes
Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal YesYes
Flag of Nicaragua.svg  Nicaragua NoNo
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger YesYes
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria YesYes
Flag of North Korea.svg  North Korea NoNo
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia YesYes
Flag of Oman.svg  Oman YesYes
Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan [a] Unknown or unclearNo
Flag of Palau.svg  Palau Unknown or unclearYes
Flag of Palestine.svg  Palestine NoNo
Flag of Panama.svg  Panama YesYes
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea YesYes
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay YesYes
Flag of Peru.svg  Peru YesYes
Flag of the Philippines.svg  Philippines YesYes
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland YesYes
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania YesYes
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia NoNo
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda YesUnknown or unclear
Flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis.svg  Saint Kitts and Nevis Unknown or unclearYes
Flag of Saint Lucia.svg  Saint Lucia YesYes
Flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.svg  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines YesYes
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Principe YesYes
Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg  Saudi Arabia Unknown or unclearUnknown or unclear
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal YesYes
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia YesYes
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles YesYes
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone YesYes
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia YesYes
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia YesYes
Flag of the Solomon Islands.svg  Solomon Islands NoNo
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia YesYes
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa YesYes
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan YesNo
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka YesYes
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan NoNo
Flag of Suriname.svg  Suriname YesYes
Flag of Syria.svg  Syria NoNo
Flag of the Republic of China.svg  Taiwan YesYes
Flag of Tajikistan.svg  Tajikistan YesYes
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania YesYes
Flag of Thailand.svg  Thailand YesYes
Flag of Togo (3-2).svg  Togo YesYes
Flag of Tonga.svg  Tonga YesYes
Flag of Trinidad and Tobago.svg  Trinidad and Tobago YesYes
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia YesYes
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey YesYes
Flag of Turkmenistan.svg  Turkmenistan YesYes
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda YesYes
Flag of Ukraine.svg  Ukraine YesYes
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay YesYes
Flag of Uzbekistan.svg  Uzbekistan YesYes
Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu YesYes
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela NoNo
Flag of Vietnam.svg  Vietnam YesYes
Flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.svg  Western Sahara [b] NoNo
Flag of Yemen.svg  Yemen NoYes
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia YesYes
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe NoNo

Notes

  1. Currently, the United States aid to Pakistan only includes civilian assistance, and military assistance has been terminated since 2018. [17] [18]
  2. The United States does not recognize the Sahrawi Republic established by the Polisario Front. In the late 2020, the United States officially recognized Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. [19]

See also

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