From Patchwork to Framework: A Review of Title 10 Authorities for Security Cooperation
Abstract U.S. efforts to build the capacity of foreign partners have a long history. The United States exported arms to allies during World War I, enacted the Lend Lease Act in 1941, and cooperated with security forces around the world to counter the expansion of communism during the Cold War and strengthen democratic principles after communisms collapse. While Department of Defense (DoD) efforts in security cooperation had been evolving to meet a changing postCold War global security environment, building partner capacity gained new impetus in U.S. national strategy after the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. However, the accelerated proliferation of legislative authorities for the DoD in Public Law and Title 10 of the U.S. Code in the ensuing 15 years has created an increasingly unwieldy catalog of statutes, which has generated severe challenges in planning and execution of security cooperation with foreign partners.