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The International Military Education and Training (IMET)
program is a low cost, key funding component of U.S. security assistance that
provides training on a grant basis to students from allied and friendly
nations. Authority for the IMET program
is found pursuant to Chapter 5, part II, Foreign Assistance Act (FAA) 1961.
Funding is appropriated from the
International Affairs budget of the Department of State.
It is a key component of U.S. security
assistance that provides U.S. training on a grant basis to students from allied
and friendly nations. The IMET program
is an investment in ideas and people which has an overall positive impact on
the numerous students trained under the program. For a relatively modest investment, it presents democratic
alternatives to key foreign military and civilian leaders.
The IMET program exposes students to the U.S. professional
military establishment and the American way of life, including amongst other
things, U.S. regard for democratic values, respect for individual and human
rights and belief in the rule of law. Students are also exposed to U.S. military procedures and the manner in
which our military functions under civilian control.
They may receive as examples of types of training:
Professional
Military Education (PME) as
well as technical training.
Additionally, our EIMET
program, a
significant part of the overall IMET program, exposes students to the civilian
community and its important democratic institutions.
Overall objectives of the IMET program are:
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To
further the goal of regional stability through effective, mutually beneficial
military-to-military relations which culminate in increased understanding and
defense cooperation between the United States and foreign countries; and
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To
increase the ability of foreign national military and civilian personnel to
absorb and maintain basic democratic values and protect internationally
recognized human rights.
The
IMET objectives are achieved through a variety of military education and
training activities conducted by the DoD for foreign military and civilian
officials. These include:
formal instruction involving over 2,000
courses taught at approximately 150 military schools and installations;
on-the-job training; orientation tours for key senior military and civilian
officials; and mobile education teams which takes the curriculum to the host
country.
See
STR Directorate
Back to Military
Assistance
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