An Update of recent arms deals in the Americas
In an unprecedented move, the House Armed Services Committee is seeking a broad strategic review of all Defense Department foreign military or security assistance as part of its agreed bill to advance U.S. military programs for FY 2016. The bill, National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY 2016 (H.R. 1753), was approved by the Committee last Wednesday and will be considered by the full House this coming Tuesday.
This week, the House Armed Services Committee threw an extra US$50 million in drug war aid for Central America into the 2016 Defense bill.
According to El Heraldo newspaper, the President of Honduras told U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) that the country’s military would continue to have a role in law enforcement, but would be pulled off the streets in “two to three years,” an overall strategy the senator seemed to support.
Honduras has been increasingly relying on its armed forces for domestic security, particularly since 2013 when a Military Police unit (PMOP) was established. As in other Latin American countries that have chosen a similar approach, the use of the PMOP in Honduras has ...
The Obama Administration’s recent announcement to resume more than a billion dollars in U.S. military aid and certain weapons deliveries to Egypt has evoked a variety of responses in the United States. Some policymakers in Congress and security policy ...
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United States have shared close ties for over 70 years. Although the two nations sometimes disagree, including recently over the civil war in Syria and U.S. nuclear negotiations with Iran, this relationship has endured despite both nations’ distinct set of values.