Pentagon Can Now Fund Foreign Militaries

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Thu, 9 Feb 2006 12:15:36 EST

Pentagon Can Now Fund Foreign Militaries

 

 

Pentagon Can Now Fund Foreign Militaries

Defense Secretary Pushed for New Powers to Better Deal With Emergencies

 

By Bradley Graham

Washington Post Staff Writer

Sunday, January 29, 2006; A10

 

Congress has granted unusual authority for the Pentagon to spend as

much as $200 million of its own budget to aid foreign militaries, a

break with the traditional practice of channeling foreign military

assistance through the State Department.

 

The move, included in a little-noticed provision of the 2006 National

Defense Authorization Act passed last month, marks a legislative

victory for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, who pushed hard for

the new powers to deal with emergency situations.

 

But it has drawn warnings from foreign policy specialists inside and

outside the government, who say it could lead to growth of a separate

military assistance effort not subject to the same constraints applied

to foreign aid programs that are administered by the State Department.

Such constraints are meant to ensure that aid recipients meet certain

standards, including respect for human rights and protection of

legitimate civilian authorities.

 

" It's important that diplomats remain the ones to make the decisions

about U.S. foreign assistance, " said George Withers, a senior fellow

at the Washington Office on Latin America and a former staff member on

the House Armed Services Committee. " They can ensure such decisions

are taken in the broader context of U.S. foreign policy. "

 

Many lawmakers, too, were initially cool to Rumsfeld's request. The

Armed Services committees in both the House and Senate declined to

write the provision into their original defense authorization bills,

citing concerns about a lack of jurisdiction and an absence of detail

about where the money would be spent.

 

But the Pentagon pressed its case, with senior commanders joining top

officials in weighing in with reluctant members.

 

" This was the most heavily lobbied we've been by the Pentagon in the

several years I've been here, " said one Senate staff member. " They

really, really wanted this. "

 

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also threw her support behind the

measure, overruling lower-ranking staff members who had argued that

existing laws were sufficient and who had cautioned against granting

the Pentagon such flexibility, department officials said. She joined

Rumsfeld last summer in a letter to Congress urging passage of the

legislation.

 

The initiative addresses an issue that both the Pentagon and the State

Department have identified as crucial in fighting terrorism and

bolstering stability abroad -- namely, " building partnership capacity "

in Africa and other developing regions.

 

Administration officials complain that attempts to provide such

security assistance, especially in crisis situations, have often been

hampered by a patchwork of legal restrictions and by a division of

responsibilities among U.S. government departments. Improving security

in a failing foreign nation, for instance, might involve drawing on

the Pentagon for military training, the State Department for police

training, the Department of Homeland Security for border protection

and the Treasury Department for financial enforcement. Cobbling such

pieces together can take many months, officials say.

 

After striking out with the Armed Services committees, Pentagon

officials found an ally in Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.), who has a

particular interest in Africa. Inhofe agreed to propose the new

authority on the Senate floor as an amendment to the Defense

Authorization Act. To ensure compliance with existing foreign aid

rules, language was included saying that funds for the missions would

be transferred from the Pentagon to the State Department before being

expended and would be subject to limitations of the Foreign Assistance

Act.

 

These conditions were dropped in a later Senate-House conference. But

other conditions were added still reflecting congressional reservations.

 

The final version -- Section 1206 of the authorization act -- says the

Pentagon can provide training, equipment and supplies " to build the

capacity " of foreign militaries to conduct counterterrorist operations

or join with U.S. forces in stability operations. But the section also

stipulates that orders for such aid must originate with the president,

and it requires the Pentagon to work closely with the State Department

in formulating and implementing the assistance.

 

This new authority cannot be used to provide any assistance banned by

other U.S. laws, the provision adds. Further, the measure grants less

money than initially requested -- $200 million instead of $750

million. And it expires after two years, far short of the open-ended

mandate that Rumsfeld had sought.

 

" We're calling it a pilot program, " said Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.),

chairman of the Armed Services Committee. " But I think it'll prove its

worth. "

 

Defense officials say they are pleased with the outcome. " It's a very

good start, " said Jeffrey Nadaner, deputy assistant secretary of

defense for stability operations. " For the Congress, which hasn't done

this before, we think it's a bold, cooperative move. "

 

Reaction at the upper levels of the State Department also has been

positive. Under a separate provision approved with the train-and-equip

measure, the department is getting $200 million from the Pentagon to

bolster a new Reconstruction and Stabilization Office for coordinating

civilian assistance. This provision stirred its own controversy among

lawmakers, who as a matter of principle have opposed shifting Pentagon

funds to the State Department.

 

Having gained this much, the Pentagon and State Department are now

setting their sights on a more ambitious overhaul of foreign

assistance rules.

 

" In the longer run, we need to have our assistance structured in a way

that will give us even broader flexibility, " said Philip Zelikow, the

State Department's counselor. " The president and his advisers must be

able to devise a program that can allocate money as needed among

whatever agencies have the skill sets to deliver the capabilities,

whether State, Defense, Justice or other government agencies. "

© 2006 The Washington Post Company