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last updated:5/31/07

IMET: International Military Education and Training


Program description / Law | Expanded IMET | IMET by country | Top IMET recipients | Other sites


Program description
Law
International Military Education and Training (IMET) pays for the training or education of foreign military and a limited number of civilian personnel. IMET grants are given to foreign governments, which choose the courses their personnel will attend.

IMET funding for Latin America was used to send students to approximately 150 U.S. military training institutions throughout the United States. A wide variety of courses for U.S. personnel – some 2,000, including topics ranging from counterintelligence to helicopter repair to military justice systems – qualify for IMET funding. On occasion, IMET-funded programs are conducted in the recipient country by mobile education and training teams, U.S. instructors who go to foreign countries to teach courses to groups of students in their native language.

Created in 1976, IMET is often considered to be the "traditional" U.S. military training program. Funded though the foreign aid appropriations process, IMET is overseen by the State Department and implemented by the Defense Department.

In 1998, about 30 percent of IMET funding in Latin America went to "expanded IMET" (E-IMET). A subset of IMET, E-IMET funds non-combat courses that are available to some foreign civilians as well as to military personnel. Among Latin American countries (other than Cuba), only Guatemala faces restrictions on its IMET participation. Guatemalan military personnel can only receive courses that qualify for E-IMET. The Bush Administration is seeking to undo this restriction.

IMET to several Latin American countries has been frozen by the American Servicemembers' Protection Act.

Chapter 5 of Part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (P.L. 87-195), as amended, authorizes the IMET program to provide military education and training to foreign military and civilian personnel.

According to Section 541 of the FAA, IMET-funded training is intended:

  • To encourage effective and mutually beneficial relations and increased understanding between the United States and foreign countries in furtherance of the goals of international peace and security;
  • To improve the ability of participating foreign countries to utilize their resources, including defense articles and defense services obtained by them from the United States, with maximum effectiveness, thereby contributing to greater self-reliance by such countries; and
  • To increase the awareness of nationals of foreign countries participating in such activities of basic issues involving internationally recognized human rights.

Due to concerns about the military's involvement in several human rights abuses, Guatemala has not received regular IMET since 1995. Annual Foreign Operations Appropriations laws limit Guatemala to Expanded IMET only.


Click to read the text of Section 541 of the FAA, also known as section 2347 of Title 22, U.S. Code. (From U.S. House of Representatives Internet Law Library)

Expanded IMET:

Click here for information about Expanded IMET, a subset of the IMET program which funds courses dealing with civil-military relations, defense management, counternarcotics law enforcement, and military justice.


IMET by country:

2000-2006
(U.S. dollars)

Country

2000 [6]
2001 [8]
2002 [9]

2003 [10]

2004 [11]

2005, est. [11]

2006, req. [11]

Antigua & Barbuda
113,000
130,000
135,000
 
 
 
 
Argentina
740,000
846,000
1,025,000
1,000,000
1,087,000
825,000
1,100,000
Bahamas
112,000
110,000
144,000
146,000
165,000
240,000
240,000
Barbados
71,000
80,000
152,000
 
 
 
 
Belize
161,000
223,000
212,000
173,000
277,000
200,000
200,000
Bolivia
548,000
665,000
712,000
800,000
589,000
800,000
800,000
Brazil
223,000
241,000
437,000
483,000
0
0
50,000
British Virgin Islands
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Caribbean Regional
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Central America Regional
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Chile
499,000
550,000
570,000
559,000
600,000
600,000
600,000
Colombia
900,000
1,040,000
1,180,000
1,165,000
1,676,000
1,700,000
1,700,000
Costa Rica
280,000
297,000
389,000
336,000
0
0
50,000
Dominica
58,000
65,000
70,000
 
 
 
 
Dominican Republic
487,000
513,000
527,000
570,000
973,000
1,100,000
1,100,000
Eastern Caribbean Regional
 
 
 
686,000
719,000
800,000
775,000
Ecuador
518,000
550,000
625,000
645,000
0
300,000
50,000
El Salvador
523,000
653,000
814,000
1,165,000
1,480,000
1,600,000
1,600,000
Grenada
47,000
70,000
83,000
 
 
 
 
Guatemala
228,000
291,000
350,000
350,000
504,000
350,000
400,000
Guyana
168,000
192,000
294,000
316,000
359,000
300,000
300,000
Haiti
222,000
0
14,000
51,000
235,000
150,000
215,000
Honduras
548,000
546,000
655,000
724,000
1,309,000
1,100,000
1,100,000
Jamaica
461,000
465,000
586,000
646,000
700,000
700,000
700,000
Mexico
865,000
1,000,000
944,000
1,250,000
1,275,000
1,250,000
1,100,000
Netherlands Antilles
 
 
Nicaragua
194,000
222,000
372,000
600,000
779,000
600,000
600,000
Panama
117,000
131,000
178,000
209,000
558,000
600,000
600,000
Paraguay
210,000
238,000
360,000
297,000
0
250,000
50,000
Peru
455,000
509,000
518,000
592,000
0
300,000
50,000
Puerto Rico
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
South America Regional
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
St. Kitts & Nevis
67,000
75,000
98,000
 
 
 
 
St. Lucia
79,000
70,000
68,000
 
 
 
 
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
52,000
70,000
75,000
 
 
 
 
Suriname
102,000
107,000
147,000
156,000
151,000
150,000
150,000
Trinidad & Tobago
132,000
122,000
132,000
150,000
0
0
50,000
Turks and Caicos
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Uruguay
326,000
398,000
464,000
450,000
0
150,000
50,000
Venezuela
384,000
485,000
500,000
683,000
0
0
50,000
Western Hemisphere Regional
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total
9,890,000
10,954,000
12,830,000
14,202,000
13,436,000
14,065,000
13,680,000

Students trained with IMET, 2000-2006
(U.S. dollars)

Country

2000 [12]
2001 [8]
2002 [9]

2003 [10]

2004 [11]

2005, est. [11]

2006, req. [11]

Antigua & Barbuda
12
Argentina
191
210
264
536
493
500
500
Bahamas
10
12
24
34
34
49
49
Barbados
9
Belize
20
18
64
41
35
13
25
Bolivia
88
73
92
51
1,807
76
76
Brazil
22
26
80
80
0
0
2
British Virgin Islands
Caribbean Regional
Central America Regional
Chile
201
348
175
198
244
244
244
Colombia
763
513
588
529
654
673
673
Costa Rica
69
51
66
46
0
0
2
Dominica
7
Dominican Republic
36
58
87
47
53
60
60
Eastern Caribbean Regional
43
70
75
64
61
85
Ecuador
94
107
101
85
0
12
2
El Salvador
143
243
354
274
389
421
421
Grenada
6
Guatemala
19
33
78
89
174
104
139
Guyana
16
15
18
23
24
20
20
Haiti
39
0
4
47
58
37
53
Honduras
208
111
208
222
319
268
268
Jamaica
118
70
229
114
77
77
77
Mexico
95
116
91
171
460
451
397
Netherlands Antilles
Nicaragua
135
76
61
104
91
70
70
Panama
12
17
23
31
34
37
37
Paraguay
42
38
48
31
0
10
2
Peru
55
60
85
172
0
12
2
Puerto Rico
South America Regional
St. Kitts & Nevis
9
St. Lucia
9
St. Vincent & the Grenadines
5