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IMET: International Military Education and Training
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Program description / Law | Expanded IMET | IMET by country | Top IMET recipients | Other sites

Program description

Law

International Military Education and Training (IMET) pays for the training or education of foreign military and a limited number of civilian personnel. IMET grants are given to foreign governments, which choose the courses their personnel will attend.

IMET funding for Latin America was used to send students to approximately 150 U.S. military training institutions throughout the United States. A wide variety of courses for U.S. personnel – some 2,000, including topics ranging from counterintelligence to helicopter repair to military justice systems – qualify for IMET funding. On occasion, IMET-funded programs are conducted in the recipient country by mobile education and training teams, U.S. instructors who go to foreign countries to teach courses to groups of students in their native language.

Created in 1976, IMET is often considered to be the "traditional" U.S. military training program. Funded though the foreign aid appropriations process, IMET is overseen by the State Department and implemented by the Defense Department.

In 1998, about 30 percent of IMET funding in Latin America went to "expanded IMET" (E-IMET). A subset of IMET, E-IMET funds non-combat courses that are available to some foreign civilians as well as to military personnel. Among Latin American countries (other than Cuba), only Guatemala faces restrictions on its IMET participation. Guatemalan military personnel can only receive courses that qualify for E-IMET. The Bush Administration is seeking to undo this restriction.

IMET to several Latin American countries has been frozen by the American Servicemembers' Protection Act.

Chapter 5 of Part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-195), as amended, authorizes the IMET program to provide military education and training to foreign military and civilian personnel.

According to Section 541 of the FAA, IMET-funded training is intended:

To encourage effective and mutually beneficial relations and increased understanding between the United States and foreign countries in furtherance of the goals of international peace and security;
To improve the ability of participating foreign countries to utilize their resources, including defense articles and defense services obtained by them from the United States, with maximum effectiveness, thereby contributing to greater self-reliance by such countries; and
To increase the awareness of nationals of foreign countries participating in such activities of basic issues involving internationally recognized human rights.

Due to concerns about the military's involvement in several human rights abuses, Guatemala has not received regular IMET since 1995. Annual Foreign Operations Appropriations laws limit Guatemala to Expanded IMET only.

Click to read the text of Section 541 of the FAA, also known as section 2347 of Title 22, U.S. Code. (From U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library)

Expanded IMET:

Click here for information about Expanded IMET, a subset of the IMET program which funds courses dealing with civil-military relations, defense management, counternarcotics law enforcement, and military justice.

IMET by country:

2000-2006
(U.S. dollars)

Country	2000 [6]	2001 [8]	2002 [9]	2003 [10]	2004 [11]	2005, est. [11]	2006, req. [11]
Antigua & Barbuda	113,000	130,000	135,000
Argentina	740,000	846,000	1,025,000	1,000,000	1,087,000	825,000	1,100,000
Bahamas	112,000	110,000	144,000	146,000	165,000	240,000	240,000
Barbados	71,000	80,000	152,000
Belize	161,000	223,000	212,000	173,000	277,000	200,000	200,000
Bolivia	548,000	665,000	712,000	800,000	589,000	800,000	800,000
Brazil	223,000	241,000	437,000	483,000	0	0	50,000
British Virgin Islands
Caribbean Regional
Central America Regional
Chile	499,000	550,000	570,000	559,000	600,000	600,000	600,000
Colombia	900,000	1,040,000	1,180,000	1,165,000	1,676,000	1,700,000	1,700,000
Costa Rica	280,000	297,000	389,000	336,000	0	0	50,000
Dominica	58,000	65,000	70,000
Dominican Republic	487,000	513,000	527,000	570,000	973,000	1,100,000	1,100,000
Eastern Caribbean Regional				686,000	719,000	800,000	775,000
Ecuador	518,000	550,000	625,000	645,000	0	300,000	50,000
El Salvador	523,000	653,000	814,000	1,165,000	1,480,000	1,600,000	1,600,000
Grenada	47,000	70,000	83,000
Guatemala	228,000	291,000	350,000	350,000	504,000	350,000	400,000
Guyana	168,000	192,000	294,000	316,000	359,000	300,000	300,000
Haiti	222,000	0	14,000	51,000	235,000	150,000	215,000
Honduras	548,000	546,000	655,000	724,000	1,309,000	1,100,000	1,100,000
Jamaica	461,000	465,000	586,000	646,000	700,000	700,000	700,000
Mexico	865,000	1,000,000	944,000	1,250,000	1,275,000	1,250,000	1,100,000
Netherlands Antilles
Nicaragua	194,000	222,000	372,000	600,000	779,000	600,000	600,000
Panama	117,000	131,000	178,000	209,000	558,000	600,000	600,000
Paraguay	210,000	238,000	360,000	297,000	0	250,000	50,000
Peru	455,000	509,000	518,000	592,000	0	300,000	50,000
Puerto Rico
South America Regional
St. Kitts & Nevis	67,000	75,000	98,000
St. Lucia	79,000	70,000	68,000
St. Vincent & the Grenadines	52,000	70,000	75,000
Suriname	102,000	107,000	147,000	156,000	151,000	150,000	150,000
Trinidad & Tobago	132,000	122,000	132,000	150,000	0	0	50,000
Turks and Caicos
Uruguay	326,000	398,000	464,000	450,000	0	150,000	50,000
Venezuela	384,000	485,000	500,000	683,000	0	0	50,000
Western Hemisphere Regional
Total	9,890,000	10,954,000	12,830,000	14,202,000	13,436,000	14,065,000	13,680,000

Students trained with IMET, 2000-2006
(U.S. dollars)

Country	2000 [12]	2001 [8]	2002 [9]	2003 [10]	2004 [11]	2005, est. [11]	2006, req. [11]
Antigua & Barbuda	12
Argentina	191	210	264	536	493	500	500
Bahamas	10	12	24	34	34	49	49
Barbados	9
Belize	20	18	64	41	35	13	25
Bolivia	88	73	92	51	1,807	76	76
Brazil	22	26	80	80	0	0	2
British Virgin Islands
Caribbean Regional
Central America Regional
Chile	201	348	175	198	244	244	244
Colombia	763	513	588	529	654	673	673
Costa Rica	69	51	66	46	0	0	2
Dominica	7
Dominican Republic	36	58	87	47	53	60	60
Eastern Caribbean Regional		43	70	75	64	61	85
Ecuador	94	107	101	85	0	12	2
El Salvador	143	243	354	274	389	421	421
Grenada	6
Guatemala	19	33	78	89	174	104	139
Guyana	16	15	18	23	24	20	20
Haiti	39	0	4	47	58	37	53
Honduras	208	111	208	222	319	268	268
Jamaica	118	70	229	114	77	77	77
Mexico	95	116	91	171	460	451	397
Netherlands Antilles
Nicaragua	135	76	61	104	91	70	70
Panama	12	17	23	31	34	37	37
Paraguay	42	38	48	31	0	10	2
Peru	55	60	85	172	0	12	2
Puerto Rico
South America Regional
St. Kitts & Nevis	9
St. Lucia	9
St. Vincent & the Grenadines	5
Suriname	72	86	14	16	11	11	11
Trinidad & Tobago	12	8	9	8	0	0	2
Turks and Caicos
Uruguay	74	127	171	202	0	6	2
Venezuela	93	119	61	73	0	0	2
Western Hemisphere Regional
Total	2,684	2,578	3,065	3,299	5,021	3,212	3,221

1996-1999
(Thousands of U.S. dollars)

Country	1996		1997		1998		1999
Country	Total [1]	Students trained [2]	Total [3]	Students trained [2]	Total [4]	Students trained [4]	Total [5]	Students trained [5]
Antigua & Barbuda	$100	11	$93	13	$123	16	$109	16
Argentina	$542	186	$603	179	$607	211	$613	197
Bahamas	$100	19	$107	12	$110	16	$127	17
Barbados	$100	12	$103	9	$60	6	$57	6
Belize	$250	81	$208	49	$258	32	$175	33
Bolivia	$535	133	$509	163	$570	66	$533	76
Brazil	$200	38	$222	41	$220	19	$206	30
Chile	$366	187	$395	167	$453	187	$478	174
Colombia	$147	32	$0	0	$885	261	$917	611
Costa Rica	$198	69	$200	92	$241	101	$240	53
Dominica	$40	6	$32	5	$40	7	$50	6
Dominican Republic	$500	70	$622	70	$556	47	$493	47
Ecuador	$500	135	$425	118	$534	141	$569	162
El Salvador	$541	207	$455	234	$512	241	$491	181
Grenada	$40	9	$49	7	$58	10	$59	6
Guatemala	$0	0	$205	122	$223	83	$253	103
Guyana	$214	31	$178	72	$181	17	$216	20
Haiti	$250	9	$275	125	$290	107	$160	2
Honduras	$500	213	$425	164	$500	197	$560	221
Jamaica	$450	73	$487	66	$504	87	$472	57
Mexico	$1,000	221	$1,008	192	$921	165	$918	194
Nicaragua	$0	0	$57	4	$74	26	$200	55
Panama	$0	0	$0	0	$0	0	$87	2
"Panama Canal Area Military School"	$500		$520		$530		$0
Paraguay	$182	10	$284	42	$216	22	$215	57
Peru	$400	75	$483	133	$462	99	$478	44
St. Kitts & Nevis	$48	11	$56	10	$65	8	$63	26
St. Lucia	$46	9	$42.5	5	$44	8	$57	6
St. Vincent & the Grenadines	$46	10	$44	6	$50	7	$49	8
Suriname	$79	138	$149	100	$82	18	$100	86
Trinidad & Tobago	$57	8	$95	12	$133	18	$148	15
Uruguay	$330	85	$332	65	$321	72	$364	78
Venezuela	$430	114	$388	100	$400	92	$400	182
Total	$8,691	2,202	$9,052	2,377	$10,223	2,387	$9,857	2,771

Top recipients of IMET funding:

Rank	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
1	Mexico	Mexico	Mexico	Mexico	Colombia	Colombia	Colombia	Colombia	Colombia
2	Argentina	Dominican Republic	Colombia	Colombia	Mexico	Mexico	Argentina	El Salvador	El Salvador
3	El Salvador	Argentina	Argentina	Argentina	Argentina	Argentina	Mexico	Mexico	Honduras
4	Bolivia	Bolivia	Bolivia	Ecuador	Honduras	Bolivia	El Salvador	Honduras	Mexico
5	Dominican Republic	Jamaica	Dominican Republic	Honduras	Bolivia	El Salvador	Bolivia	Dominican Republic	Argentina
6	Ecuador	Peru	Ecuador	Bolivia	El Salvador	Chile, Ecuador	Honduras	Argentina	Dominican Republic
7	Honduras	El Salvador	El Salvador	Dominican Republic	Ecuador	Honduras	Ecuador	Bolivia	Nicaragua
8	Jamaica	Ecuador	Jamaica	El Salvador	Chile	Dominican Republic	Jamaica	Jamaica	Jamaica
9	Venezuela	Honduras	Honduras	Peru	Dominican Republic	Peru	Chile	Nicaragua	Chile
10	Peru	Chile	Peru	Chile	Jamaica	Venezuela	Dominican Republic	Chile	Bolivia

Other sites:

John A. Cope, Jr. "International Military Education and Training: An Assessment." McNair Paper no. 44 (October 1995: Institute for National Strategic Studies).
Benjamin Schwarz, "The illusion of US influence." From The Christian Science Monitor September 30, 1999.

Sources:

1 United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations, Fiscal Year 1998 (Washington: March 1997): 125-6.

2 United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations, Fiscal Year 1999 (Washington: March 1998): 1013.

3 United States, Department of State, "International Military Education and Training FY 1999 Allocation," fax document, February 12, 1999.

4 United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations, Fiscal Year 2000 (Washington: March 1999): 1106-9.

5 United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations, Fiscal Year 2001 (Washington: March 2000). <http://www.state.gov/www/budget/fy2001/fn150/forops_full/150fy01_fo_military-asst.html>.

6 United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, FY2002 International Affairs (Function 150) Budget Request (Washington: April 9, 2001) <http://www.state.gov/s/rpp/rls/iab/>.

United States, Department of State, Department of Defense, Foreign Military Training and DoD Engagement Activities of Interest In Fiscal years 2000 and 2001, Volume I (Washington: March 2001) <http://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/2001/fmtrpt/>.

United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations, Fiscal Year 2002 (Washington: April 2001) <http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/3961.pdf>.

7 Department of State, Department of Defense, Foreign Military Training and DoD Engagement Activities of Interest In Fiscal years 2000 and 2001.

United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations, Fiscal Year 2002.

8 [Footnote reference deleted during updating of text.]

9 United States, Department of State, FY 2004 Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations (Washington, DC: Department of State, February 2003) <http://www.state.gov/m/rm/rls/cbj/2004/>.

10 United States, Department of State, FY 2005 Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations (Washington, DC: Department of State, February 2004) <http://www.state.gov/m/rm/rls/cbj/2005/>.

11 United States, Department of State, FY 2006 Congressional Budget Justification for Foreign Operations (Washington, DC: Department of State, February 2005) <http://www.state.gov/m/rm/rls/cbj/2006/>.

12 United States, Department of State, Foreign Military Training and DoD Engagement Activities of Interest (Washingon, DC: Department of State, January 2001) <http://www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/rpt/fmtrpt/2001/>.

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Joy Olson (WOLA Executive Director jolson@WOLA.org)

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