Excerpt: Section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2006 provides the Secretary of Defense with authority to train and equip foreign military and foreign maritime 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. Thus far, the Department of Defense (DOD) has used Section 1206 authority primarily to provide counterterrorism support. This authority expires in FY2011.
Reports by region: Asia
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Section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2006: A Fact Sheet on Department of Defense Authority to Train and Equip Foreign Military ForcesCongressional Research Service (CRS)Published July 7, 2009Security Sector Reform, All Regions | Posted July 7, 2009
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A New Partnership Agenda: Charting a New Horizon for UN PeacekeepingPublished July 1, 2009All Regions, UN Peace Operations | Posted July 1, 2009
Excerpt: A document prepared by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the Department of Field Support that contributes to an ongoing discussion about the future direction of UN peacekeeping and how this unique instrument can continue to serve the international community and the millions of people that look to it for support.
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Greater Expectations: UN Peacekeeping and Civilian ProtectionRefugees InternationalPublished July 1, 2009Peacekeeping Doctrine, Protection of Civilians, All Regions, UN Peace Operations | Posted July 1, 2009
Abstract: This report analyzes the evolution of peacekeeping and civilian protection norms and provides an in-depth look into the peacekeeping missions in Chad to draw lessons from their challenges and successes. In addition, this report looks at what the U.S. can do to support the efforts and innovations of the UN and other peacekeeping bodies. The U.S. has a key role to play to gain greater international acceptance in the belief that we have a responsibility to protect people in times of crisis. But it also cando more to support real action that protects people from harm.
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East Timor: Political Dynamics, Development, and International InvolvementCongressional Research Service (CRS)Published June 17, 2009Asia, UN Peace Operations | Posted June 17, 2009
Excerpt: The situation in the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, which is also known as simply Timor-Leste or East Timor, is relatively calm compared with recent periods of political strife and insurrection. That said, some underlying tensions, such as with the security sector, remain to be resolved. Timor-Leste faces many serious challenges as it seeks to establish a stable democracy and develop its economy. Prior to 2006 the international community’s main concern focused on possible tensions in East Timor’s relations with Indonesia. Since 2006 the main threat to East Timor has been internal strife resulting from weak, or collapsed, state institutions, rivalries among elites and between security forces, a poor economy, unemployment, east-west tensions within the country and population displacement. The reintroduction of peacekeeping troops and a United Nations mission, the flow of revenue from hydrocarbon resources in the Timor Sea, and improved political stability are helping East Timor move towards more effective and democratic government. East Timor has significant energy resources beneath the Timor Sea. A key issue is how this wealth will be conserved and spent in the years ahead.
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The Global Peace Operations Initiative: Background and Issues for CongressCongressional Research Service (CRS)Published June 11, 2009All Regions, US Gov't Peacekeeping Issues | Posted June 11, 2009
Excerpt: In its May 2009 budget request for FY2010, the Obama Administration has requested $96.8 million for the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). GPOI was established in mid-2004 as a five-year program with intended annual funding to total $660 million from FY2005 through FY2009. (Actual funds allocated to the GPOI program from FY2005 through FY2009 totaled, as of April 2009, some $480.4 million.) The centerpiece of the Bush Administration’s efforts to prepare foreign security forces to participate in international peacekeeping operations, GPOI’s primary purpose has been to train and equip 75,000 military troops, a majority of them African, for peacekeeping operations by 2010. In October 2008, the National Security Council’s Deputies Committee approved a five-year renewal of GPOI’s mandate. Congressional approval of the FY2010 budget request would provide funding for the first year of this extension.
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Building on Brahimi: Peacekeeping in an Era of Strategic UncertaintyPublished April 1, 2009All Regions, UN Peace Operations | Posted April 1, 2009
Abstract: This report addresses the questions, "How will the demand for global peacekeeping be met?" "What types of operation and mandates will be necessary?" "Will supply meet the demand?" "What role will the UN play relative to other institutions and coalitions?" "What capabilities will it need?" and "What are the limits of UN-commanded operations, and what are realistic alternatives?" It does so in order to forecast some aspects of the likely future of UN peacekeeping over the next five to seven years. It is necessarily speculative and raises issues not easily discussed in formal settings.
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The Purposes of Peace OperationsCenter on International CooperationPublished March 1, 2009Peacekeeping Doctrine, All Regions, UN Peace Operations | Posted March 1, 2009
Excerpt: This essay traces the evolution and adaptation of peace operations, first to the Cold War and then the post-Cold War environment, and more recently to a new post-9/11 era in which the ever-expanding purposes of peace operations is blurring the line between peacekeeping and war-fighting, posing a threat to its identity as a security-related military function that is honorably separable from war. It concludes with some thoughts on why that separation should be restored and how that might be done.
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Supplemental Appropriations: Trends and Budgetary Impacts Since 1981Congressional Research Service (CRS)Published January 2, 2009All Regions, US Gov't Peacekeeping Issues | Posted January 2, 2009
This report examines the trends and budget impacts of supplemental appropriations since 1981. In addition, the impact of supplemental appropriations on budget deficits and federal debt is estimated.The report does not focus on the reasons why supplemental appropriations have followed a particular trend (although some reasons are offered), but rather focuses on the budgetary impacts of supplemental appropriations.
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The Department of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance: Background, Major Issues, and Options for CongressCongressional Research Service (CRS)Published December 9, 2008Security Sector Reform, All Regions | Posted December 9, 2008
Excerpt: The Department of Defense (DOD) has long played a role in U.S. efforts to assist foreign populations, militaries, and governments. The use of DOD to provide foreign assistance stems in general from the perception that DOD can contribute unique or vital capabilities and resources because it possesses the manpower, materiel, and organizational assets to respond to international needs. Over the years, Congress has helped shape the DOD role by providing DOD with its mandate for such activities through a wide variety of authorities.
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The Department of Defense Role in Foreign Assistance: Background, Major Issues, and Options for CongressCongressional Research Service (CRS)Published December 9, 2008All Regions, US Gov't Peacekeeping Issues | Posted December 9, 2008
Excerpt: The Department of Defense (DOD) has long played a role in U.S. efforts to assist foreign populations, militaries, and governments. The use of DOD to provide foreign assistance stems in general from the perception that DOD can contribute unique or vital capabilities and resources because it possesses the manpower, materiel, and organizational assets to respond to international needs. Over the years, Congress has helped shape the DOD role by providing DOD with its mandate for such activities through a wide variety of authorities.
