The number of U.S. foreign military trainees increased substantially from 79,865 trainees in FY 2015 to 128,280 trainees in FY 2016, according to the State Department’s recent U.S. “Foreign Military Training” reports.
Indonesian Defense Minister Ryacudu asked U.S. Defense Secretary Mattis on his recent trip to Indonesia to reduce existing Leahy Laws limitations on U.S. security aid to one of its Special Forces units, Kopassus, although it has history of human rights violations.
Prepared remarks of SAM Director Colby Goodman at the "Global Anti-Corruption: Transparency in the Modern Age" symposium at the NYU Journal of International Law and Politics on October 17, 2017.
As Congress prepares for a vote today on a proposed sale of U.S. precision-guided munitions to Saudi Arabia for use in Yemen, there are growing concerns about Saudi-funded U.S. lobbying firms pushing faulty information about the Yemen conflict.
The State Department requested Congress to approve over $662 million worth of commercial firearms sales to 36 countries in 2015-2016, including some countries that have come under scrutiny for their potential or alleged misuse of U.S. weapons.