IMET student travel and allowances

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1. Who pays to get the student there

International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds may pay for an international military student’s travel, within limits set in the Security Assistance Management Manual (SAMM C10.6.10). The manual still encourages partner nations to pay for their students’ transport as far as possible, so that IMET funds can send more students to training. Travel within the student’s own country is never paid by the program (SAMM C10.6.10.1).

One exception covers briefings. Where a country has no resident security cooperation organization (SCO) officer, the responsible SCO may arrange IMET-funded transport for students to and from the officer’s location for briefings (SAMM C10.6.10.2). That depends on there being no American representation in the student’s country able to do the briefing, and on the country team’s support. It does not apply to countries that pay their own expenses. Travel orders and entry requirements are covered in travel orders and the English language threshold.

2. How the student travels

Some countries have a national airline with routes to, or part of the way to, the United States. SCOs there are encouraged to seek agreement for it to carry the students at no cost to the United States (SAMM C10.6.10.3). When IMET pays for the trip between home and the training site, the student takes the most direct route (SAMM C10.6.10.4).

Students may fly on American military aircraft with an approved invitational travel order, at common user rates, including those whose country pays for the transport (SAMM C10.6.10.4.1). Commercial travel to or from the United States must use an American flag carrier to the fullest extent feasible (SAMM C10.6.10.4.2). A combination of foreign carriers in tourist class and American carriers is allowed when an all-American routing would miss the course convening date. If no American carrier is available, the embassy travel office issues a certificate of non-availability.

Inside the United States, students travel to and from training sites by surface common carrier or commercial air (SAMM C10.6.10.4.3). Travel by private vehicle may be authorized when it is in the government’s interest, as the SCO indicates on the travel order.

3. What the program will not cover

Defense and State Department funded training, including IMET, does not pay for dependents’ travel (SAMM C10.6.10.5). A student going home on emergency leave, and planning to return to finish training, pays the round trip, or the student’s government does (SAMM C10.6.10.6).

Departures from the planned route end American sponsorship. When a government lets its student leave the most direct route, sponsorship ends at that point and time (SAMM C10.6.10.7). If the student stays somewhere en route longer than needed for connections, IMET funds may not pay allowances for the extra time. The student or the government bears any added charges from route changes, and a student who misses scheduled return flights is not the government’s responsibility. If the travel order authorizes leave after graduation and it is cheaper to fly home from the leave location, the student may be transported from there.

4. Allowances while traveling

When IMET pays for travel, the student receives living allowances in travel status from the day of departure from home through the day of arrival at the first training location (SAMM C10.6.10.9). After training, the allowance resumes on the day of departure for home. It excludes any leave the student’s government authorizes and any unauthorized delay. No IMET travel allowance is paid for any part of a trip the student’s government pays for. The allowances follow the Joint Travel Regulation rules for American personnel on temporary duty.

A student whose government pays the fare to the United States still receives IMET-funded living allowances while traveling within the country (SAMM C10.6.10.9.1). They run from departure from the American entry port to arrival at the training site, and again from departure from the last training site to arrival at the American departure point. They are paid at the full locality rate for each payable day. Accommodation on American installations en route matches that given to American personnel of equivalent grade (SAMM C10.6.10.8).

5. Privileges, and the worst case

Students and authorized dependents on travel orders receive commissary, exchange and similar privileges normally available to American military personnel of similar rank, when the implementing agency approves (SAMM C10.6.11). The equivalent rank on the travel order rests on the American grade structure, not the foreign rank title. If an IMET student dies, funds for preparing and repatriating the remains are provided case by case, after approval by the Defense Security Cooperation University (SAMM C10.6.12).

6. Hospitality funds

Schools may use extraordinary expense funds for activities that offer a cultural experience and build relationships between school officials, local supporters and international students (SAMM C10.6.14). The manual lists a commandant’s welcome, receptions, banquets for sponsors, dine-ins, faculty-student luncheons and graduations. These expenses are limited by section 636(g) of the Foreign Assistance Act and related appropriations acts, and may be used only for IMET-funded students. The manual classes them as budget project N60, expenses incidental to representational activities for IMET students. For joint events with students funded another way, including Field Studies Program events, the costs are prorated by the numbers of each kind of student. N60 funds may also be used for Field Studies Program orientation tours.

7. Where IMET training may take place

Section 541 of the Foreign Assistance Act sets where IMET-funded training may be given. It includes military schools and training facilities in the United States, other than the service academies and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps programs (SAMM C10.6.9). It may also take the form of special courses at American schools and research institutions, and observation and orientation visits to American military facilities. Courses or activities outside the United States are subject to the restrictions in the manual’s table on training types.

Key terms

International military student (IMS)	A foreign student attending American training, whose travel IMET may fund.
Invitational travel order (ITO)	The order authorizing a student’s travel and attendance, which also records equivalent rank.
Certificate of non-availability	The embassy’s certificate that no American flag carrier is available.
Travel status allowance	The living allowance paid on travel days under Joint Travel Regulation rules.
Extraordinary expenses	IMET funds for representational and cultural events for IMET students.

Every statement above links to the document behind it. The full source list for this piece is on the sources page.

This page describes public United States government programs for general information. It is not legal, regulatory or procurement advice, and it does not address the facts of any particular case.

How Sentfore supports this

Student travel is one part of the wider movement of people that defense programs depend on. Sentfore works at the delivery end of defense programs in difficult environments, providing secure movement, protective security, facilities and life support. Requirements can be sent through the contact page.