Section 1206 of the FY 2009 Nat. Defense Author. Act, provides DoD with new authority to expend DoD Oper. and Maint. funds to train and equip a foreign country's military forces. It specifies that DoD and State may help build the capacity of partner nations to: Conduct counter-terrorist operations, or Participate in or support military and stability operations in which the U.S. Armed Forces are a participant. This report is a review of the program to identify opportunities for improvements. It evaluated: Effectiveness in building capacity for counter-terrorist and stability or military operations; Efficiency with regard to project selection, execution, implementation, results, and sustainment; and Compliance with statutory requirements. Illus. This is a print on demand report.

An interagency Department of Defense and Department of State Inspectors General team conducted this evaluation of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, Section 1206, "Global Train and Equip" Program [hereafter, "Section 1206"].The purpose of this evaluation was to conduct a systemic review of the Section 1206 program to identify opportunities for improvements. The teams evaluated program: Effectiveness in building capacity for counterterrorist and stability of military operations; Efficiency with regard to project selection, execution, implementation, results, and sustainment; and Compliance with statutory requirements.

In 2006, the U.S. created two new programs, authorized in Sections 1206 and 1207 of the FY 2006 Nat. Defense Author. Act, to respond to the threats of global terrorism and instability. These programs have provided over $1.3 billion in military and non-military aid to 62 countries and are due to expire in 2011 and 2010, respectively. This report addresses the extent to which the programs: (1) are consistent with U.S. strategic priorities; (2) are distinct from other programs; (3) address sustainment needs; and (4) incorporate monitoring and evaluation. The report analyzed data and program documents from the DoD and State Dept., and the USAID, and interviewed U.S. and host country officials. Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.

Terrorism: Commentary on Security Documents is a series that provides primary source documents and expert commentary on the worldwide counter-terrorism effort. Among the documents collected are transcripts of Congressional testimony, reports by such federal government bodies as the Congressional Research Service (CRS) and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and case law covering issues related to terrorism. Most volumes carry a single theme, and inside each volume the documents appear within topic-based categories. The series also includes a subject index and other indices that guide the user through this complex area of the law. Volume 124, U.S. Approaches to Global Security Challenges, analyzes U.S. strategy toward security threats across the globe and identifies the beginnings of a shift away from a reliance on military power to the application of various types of civilian power which utilize a multinational approach. The documents introduced by Douglas Lovelace include U.S. perspectives on the international security situation generally as well as reports on more specific topics, such as the security situation in Afghanistan, terrorism in East Africa, the evolving role of NATO, and cooperation between the U.S. and other governments (such as the EU and China) in the fight against terrorism.

Although the West won the Cold War, the continuation of the status quo is not a foregone conclusion. The former Soviet-aligned regions outside of Russia -- Ukraine, Poland, Czech Republic, and others -- sit atop decaying armed forces while Russian behavior has grown more and more aggressive, as evidenced by its intervention in Ukraine in recent years. Thomas Young delves into the state of these defense institutions in Central and Eastern Europe, whose resources have declined at a faster rate than their Western neighbors' due to social and fiscal circumstances at home and shifting attitudes in the wider international community. With rigorous attention to the nuances of each region's politics and policies, he documents the status of reform of these armed forces and the role that Western nations have played since the Cold War, as well as identifying barriers to success and which management practices have been most effective in both Western and Eastern capitals. This is essential reading for undergraduates and graduates studying the recent history of Europe in the post-Soviet era, as well as those professionally involved in defense governance in the region.