Pentagon gets some authority to give foreign military aid (usually State)

[rodeodance]

http://www.startribune.com/484/story/225019.html

Pentagon gets some authority to give foreign military aid

Rumsfeld has lobbied for this power, normally the State Department's, to streamline efforts to fight terrorism.
Bradley Graham, Washington Post

Last update: February 05, 2006 – 12:06 AM


WASHINGTON - Congress has granted unusual authority for the Pentagon to spend as much as $200 million of its budget to aid foreign military forces, 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 in December, marks a legislative victory for Defense Secretary Donald 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.".....

[rodeodance]

1. says the WH/Pent big guns went to Congress to lobby

.....Many lawmakers, too, were initially cool to Rumsfeld's request. The armed services panels in the House and Senate declined to write the provision into their initial defense authorization bills, citing concerns about a lack of jurisdiction and little 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-level staffers 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.

[maddezmom]

2. duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=2072012