The Bush Administration's budget presentation for 2003 explains, "Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funding will be used to sustain patrol boats provided through Excess Defense Articles (EDA) and used for search and rescue, territorial waterway patrol, and control and interdiction of illegal immigrants by the National Maritime Service. Also, funding will allow for technical training and airframe maintenance for the National Air Service."

The same document goes on to describe the Regional Security portion of FMF used for Panama: "Panamanian police and maritime patrols assigned to protect and defend the remote Darien region and to control Panama's coasts will receive training and navigational equipment."[^1]

Sources:

¹ United States, Department of State, FY 2003 Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations (Washington, DC: April 15, 2002) <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/9476.pdf>.