Sec. 813. Security assistance planning
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Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Coordinator shall create and submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a framework to be used by relevant bureaus and diplomatic posts to guide regional and country-specific planning, such as joint regional strategies or integrated country strategies, with respect to security assistance. Such framework shall include the following:
Identification and prioritization of overall goals and objectives for security assistance, in accordance with the relevant National Security Strategy. Criteria for— determining the commitment and political will of countries receiving assistance to use such assistance in a manner that achieves United States objectives; identifying opportunities and risks created by the provision of security assistance; and tailoring and sequencing such assistance accordingly. Guidance for— incorporating the assessment, monitoring, and evaluation program described in subsection
(c)into the strategic planning cycle; increasing coordination, as appropriate, with other major international donors to maximize resources and unity of efforts; aligning the security assistance programs, projects, and activities of the Department with other United States goals of engagement with foreign countries, such as the promotion of democracy, human rights, governance, and economic growth, as well as with other United States assistance authorities, resources, programmatic capabilities, and activities. Metrics for assessing the effectiveness of security assistance in— increasing the operational access and influence of the United States; improving partner capacity and commitment to counter shared threats; reducing the underlying drivers of state fragility; and contributing to the maintenance of existing peace treaties between recipients of assistance. A process to ensure that transfers regulated by the Department that are outside the scope of security assistance, such as certain direct commercial sales, are factored into— the implementation of the assessment, monitoring, and evaluation program described in subsection
(c); and the planning process described in subsection
(d). Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Working Group shall— in consultation with the Coordinator and bureaus and offices of the Department that are involved in the planning, coordination, integration, implementation, or evaluation of security assistance, develop and promulgate a definition of the level of security assistance programs, projects, or activities that mark a country as a recipient of significant security assistance to merit inclusion in the assessment, monitoring, and evaluation process described in subsection
(c); and in consultation with the Coordinator, the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, and the heads of other relevant bureaus of the Department, develop and promulgate a definition of baseline norms for governance and the rule of law, including a rubric to assess whether a recipient of security assistance is abiding by such baseline. Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Coordinator shall develop an assessment, monitoring, and evaluation program to be conducted for any country receiving significant security assistance, as defined in accordance with subsection (b)(1) . The program described in paragraph
(1)shall include each of the following elements: Baseline assessments that consider factors, including— recipient country threat perceptions and the manner in which such perceptions may inform the use of security assistance; the recipient’s approach to governance and commitment to rule of law, including the transparency and accountability of security forces, and the manner in which such approach is likely to be influenced by security assistance; the recipient’s capacity to absorb the security assistance given and to achieve the objectives of such assistance; the human rights record of the recipient, including for purposes of section 620M of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 ( 22 U.S.C. 2378d ) and section 362 of title 10, United States Code, and any relevant attempts by such recipient to remedy such record; country- or region-specific opportunities and risks that could enhance or impair the outcomes associated with providing security assistance; and indicators of efficacy for security assistance programs, projects, and activities, for purposes of planning, monitoring, and evaluation. Monitoring implementation of security assistance programs, projects, and activities to measure progress toward achieving specific targets, metrics, or indicators, as well as desired outcomes. Evaluation of the efficiency and effectiveness of security assistance in achieving desired outcomes. Identification of lessons learned in carrying out security assistance and recommendations for improving future assistance. The Coordinator shall guide and support, in coordination with relevant regional and functional bureaus, the assessment and monitoring described in paragraph
(1)and shall create a common evaluation framework. Not later than 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into a contract with an independent research entity, such as a federally funded research and development center or other nonprofit entity, that demonstrates appropriate expertise and analytical capability to evaluate the capacity of security assistance to achieve desired outcomes in accordance with the framework created pursuant to paragraph (3). It is the sense of Congress that the ability of the Department to measure and assess the effects of United States security assistance programs and activities on governance, rule of law, professionalism of recipient security forces, and institutional capacity weaknesses of recipient security forces would benefit from the increased availability of independent research and data. Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Working Group shall develop a list of priority recipient countries to receive security assistance, on the basis of policy objectives determined by the Department, and submit such information in accordance with subsection
(f). Any comprehensive regional strategy, such as a joint regional strategy or its equivalent, and any country strategy, such as an integrated country strategy or its equivalent, that is produced on or after the date that is 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act, and each successor strategy to such strategy, shall integrate security assistance planning in a manner that incorporates the elements of the framework created pursuant to subsection
(a)and include an annex relating to security assistance, which shall include— the assessment, monitoring, and evaluation metrics described in subsection
(c); requests to allocate security assistance with respect to the area covered by the strategy; and a description of the manner in which such resources will be used. Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, any annex relating to security assistance described in paragraph
(2)that is included in a country strategy shall include an assessment by the Under Secretary responsible for civilian security, democracy, and human rights whether such country abides by baseline norms for governance and the rule of law using the rubric promulgated in accordance with subsection (b)(2) . A security assistance annex developed in accordance with paragraph
(2)for a country receiving a negative determination shall also include the following: Reforms the recipient could undertake, where practicable, to improve governance and rule of law in order to create more effective security. Conditions, which may also be included in the compacts described in subsection
(e), under which the United States might— expand or increase security assistance upon verifiable progress made toward such reforms; and restrict or end security assistance as a result of lack of progress toward such reforms or further deterioration of norms for governance or the rule of law. An assessment of the benefits and likelihood of reaching agreement with the recipient country to devote 1 percent of the total value of all security assistance to such country for training in-country civilian professionals on methods to evaluate the fiscal and functional effectiveness of the security institutions in such country. The manner in which security assistance will be used to improve governance, rule of law, and human rights reforms in such country. Steps to ensure consultation with the national legislature and with civil society groups that operate in such country on the provision of security assistance, including for the formulation of a compact in accordance with subsection (e)(2) . Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall seek to enter into multi-year compacts where appropriate with the governments of countries that receive security assistance. Such compacts should include the following elements: A joint diagnosis of the strengths and challenges of the recipient country’s security institutions, including priority capacity and capability requirements. A plan for bilateral security assistance and cooperation that includes— a commitment by the recipient specifying the manner in which security assistance will be used, within a defined timeframe; plans for sustainment by the recipient of any capacity or capabilities built as a result of such assistance; and mutually agreed oversight mechanisms for security assistance and metrics, to determine whether such assistance is accomplishing the agreed-upon objectives. If the Under Secretary described in subsection (d)(3) assesses that a country is not abiding by baseline norms for governance or the rule of law, a compact under this subsection with such country should, where practicable, be formulated in consultation with the national legislature and domestic civil society groups and include mutually agreed upon reforms and conditions based on those established as a result of such determination in accordance with subsection (d)(4) . Beginning three years after the date of the enactment of this Act and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall include with any materials submitted in support of the budget for that fiscal year that is submitted to Congress by the President under section 1105(a) of title 31 an unclassified report, that may include a classified annex, with the following: A list of priority security assistance recipients, along with descriptions of the policy objectives that the Secretary seeks to achieve by providing such assistance to such recipients, developed pursuant to subsection (d)(1) . A description of the results of the evaluations conducted pursuant to subsection (c)(4) . A description of the manner in which the Department will allocate, monitor, and evaluate all security assistance pursuant to the program described in subsection
(c)and the planning process described in subsection
(d). A description of any updates made during the previous year to the framework described in subsection (d)(1) and annex relating to security assistance required under subsection (d)(2) . The status and impact on United States objectives of any compacts entered into in accordance with subsection
(e)and of any ongoing efforts to enter into new compacts in accordance with such subsection.
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Sec. 813
Security assistance planning
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