August 27, 2017
How to Improve Return on Investment for Security Assistance
Security assistance is an expensive tool of statecraft, even if it is just one component of a total foreign aid allotment that represents only about one percent of the total U.S. budget. In FY 2015, the tab totaled an estimated $16.8 billion. Security assistance includes all grant assistance programs through which the United States provides defense articles, military training, and other defense-related services. The United States uses this assistance not only to build the capacity of allies and partners, but also to try to shape their behavior. Though this latter effort often fails, recipients rarely suffer the consequences.
Read the full op-ed in Lawfare.
More from CNAS
-
Overcoming the Tyranny of Time: The Role of U.S. Forward Posture in Deterrence and Defense
Commentary
The next defense strategy has the opportunity to codify the critical role of forward posture....
By Billy Fabian
-
The All-Volunteer Force: Civil-Military Relations Hit Home—and Abroad
Commentary
Tensions in the civil-military relationship threaten national security from conflicts abroad to cities across the United States....
By Nathalie Grogan
-
The Decline of Deterrence
Commentary
Deterrence is not as stable as believed, and is becoming less so....
By Dr. Andrew F. Krepinevich
-
The Next National Defense Strategy Will Be Shaped by Post-BCA Budget Instability
Commentary
The post-BCA world will lead to greater uncertainty for the federal budget....
By Diem Salmon
