Just the Facts

The U.S. relationship with Paraguay's security forces, though not extensive, is maintained through several cooperation programs.

In the counternarcotics arena, in 1999 Paraguay shared in an estimated $590,000 fund that the State Department’s International Narcotics Control (INC) program uses to carry out programs in non-Andean South American countries. According to the 2000 INC Congressional Presentation, in Paraguay this fund supports programs that “will assist the police to investigate and prosecute trafficking and train those in charge of enforcing new counternarcotics laws and money laundering legislation."¹

According to the State Department’s February 1999 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), the United States will support police anti-drug units “through training, technical assistance and equipment donations.” Furthermore, the INC program supports a police detector dog program and “provided equipment to the SENAD,” the government's National Anti-Drug Secretariat. Defense Department funding is used to train the SENAD’s interdiction unit.²

The State Department’s 2000 Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations states that Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) funds from a regional account will “improve National Police capabilities to investigate and arrest suspected terrorists.” This document describes the border area between Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil as “the hemispheric center for Islamic fundamentalist terrorist organizations and support infrastructure."³

According to the Foreign Military Training Report, about 30 Paraguayan military personnel were trained per year in 1998 and 1999; almost all of the training was funded through the International Military Education and Training (IMET) Program. A few students each year participate in the Defense Department’s Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies.

Paraguay was also the site of about five U.S. Special Forces Joint Combined Exchange Training (JCET) deployments in 1998, which trained approximately 164 Paraguayan military personnel. Several of the sessions included training in close quarters battles, room clearing and marksmanship.⁵

Although eligible, Paraguay received no Excess Defense Articles (EDA) in 1998 and purchased $193,000 worth of materiel, listed as “supply operations,” through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program.⁶ Paraguay received permission for the purchase of $303,819 worth of items requiring U.S. arms export licenses through the Direct Commercial Sales (DCS) program. Computer-related equipment accounted for the great majority of this total.⁷

" ">Gen. Charles Wilhelm, head the U.S. Southern Command (Southcom), discussed the U.S. military relationship with Paraguay in his annual posture statement, maintaining that “" ">we used our military-to-military contacts to urge the Paraguayan armed forces to avoid engaging in or supporting extra-constitutional activities during last year's presidential elections."⁸

Sources:

¹ United States, Department of State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, Fiscal Year 2000 Budget Congressional Presentation (Washington: March 1999): 57 <http://www.state.gov/www/global/narcotics_law/fy2000_budget/latin_america.html>.

² United States, Department of State, Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, 1998 (Washington: February, 1999) <http://www.state.gov/www/global/narcotics_law/1998_narc_report/major/Paraguay.html>.

³ United States, Department of State, Office of Resources, Plans and Policy, Congressional Presentation for Foreign Operations Fiscal Year 2000 (Washington: February 1999): 917

⁴ United States, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program of the Department of Defense Fiscal Year 1998 (Washington: March 1, 1999).

⁵ United States, Department of Defense, Report on Training of Special Operations Forces, Under 10 U.S.C. Section 2011 (Washington: April 1, 1999).

⁶ United States, Defense Security Cooperation Agency, FY 1998 , Defense Articles (Including Excess) and Services (Including Training) Furnished Foreign Countries and International Organizations Under the Foreign Military Sales Provisions of the Arms Export Control Act, Chapter 2 (Washington: July, 1999).

⁷ United States, Department of State, U.S. Arms Exports: Direct Commercial Sales Authorizations for Fiscal Year 98 (Washington: July 1999): 78.

⁸ United States Southern Command, Posture Statement of General Charles E. Wilhelm, United States Marine Corps Commander in Chief, before the Senate Armed Services Committee March 4, 1999: 33.