Planning and funding the IMET year

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1. Two channels, one budget

Each country’s International Military Education and Training (IMET) program starts as a recommendation sent up two separate channels. Combatant commands (CCMDs) submit recommended annual IMET budget levels to the Joint Chiefs of Staff through the budget formulation tool for Foreign Military Financing and IMET (SAMM C10.6.6). The embassy country team sends a similar recommendation to the State Department through the Mission Strategic Resource Plan. Security cooperation organizations (SCOs) and CCMDs must make sure the two submissions match. From this process the State Department sets proposed allocations for each eligible country, for the annual Congressional Budget Justification.

What the program may pay for is covered in what the IMET program funds. This piece follows the money through a single year.

2. The working group review

At each CCMD’s Security Cooperation Education and Training Working Group (SCETWG), the training the military departments have entered in the training module is reviewed (SAMM C10.6.6.1). It covers the current fiscal year, including one-year, two-year, multi-year and deobligated or reobligated funds, and the next fiscal year. The CCMD, the State Department, the Defense Security Cooperation University and the SCO review it to make sure the IMET funding is appropriate. The State Department, the University and the CCMD then approve each country’s budget year program. Pricing of IMET training follows Volume 15, Chapter 7 of the Financial Management Regulation (SAMM C10.6.6.2).

3. Apportionment

After Congress appropriates the money in the foreign operations budget, the State Department and the University ask the Office of Management and Budget for a country by country apportionment (SAMM C10.6.6.3). Once the funds are apportioned, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) starts account management and asks the Treasury to transfer funds to the implementing agencies. If a country’s amount rises above the figure in the budget justification, the State Department must notify Congress.

4. Priority codes

Planning has to allow for shortfalls. Actual allocations are often lower than the SCO asked for and are announced well after the fiscal year begins (SAMM C10.6.6.4). Extra money can come in an end of year reallocation. SCOs therefore prioritize training during planning and must be ready to revise and re-prioritize late in the year. Priority codes on each training line make that possible.

Code A marks training within the planned and expected funding for the country, and also applies to the Regional Defense Fellowship Program (SAMM C10.6.6.4.1). The implementing agencies fund code A lines within the apportioned allocation (SAMM C10.6.6.4.2). SCOs keep the total of code A lines within the country’s allocation. If changes push it over, the SCO asks the agencies to move selected lines to code D. Lines already funded have their funding withdrawn but may stay in the program unfunded.

Code B marks training that starts in the first quarter of the next fiscal year, from October 1 to December 31, and should be considered for end of year money (SAMM C10.6.6.4.3). Code C is not used. Code D covers other valid training after the third quarter that exceeds the budget level, and it should not exceed 10 percent of that level (SAMM C10.6.6.4.4). At the annual working group, every code D line is either canceled or changed to B (SAMM C10.6.6.4.4.1).

5. Spending it in the year

Funds must be obligated by the end of the fiscal year (SAMM C10.6.6.5). The military departments coordinate with SCOs to confirm student quotas and schedule report or start dates.

Changes to the current year program stop four weeks before DSCA’s annual end of year financial review in July (SAMM C10.6.6.6.1). After the cut-off, only changes justified as urgent are considered, and they need approval from the University and DSCA’s business operations office. CCMD priorities for year-end money must reach DSCA no later than two weeks before the review. When the review ends, its results are final.

6. The end of year reallocation

Every end of year requirement must carry code B on the country’s standard training list and start between October 1 and December 31 (SAMM C10.6.6.6.1). Code B lines become code A if, and after, they are funded. The manual sets out the sequence in a table. From March to June, CCMDs comment on country allocation levels at the working groups, and SCOs validate requirements for more funds with the agencies. Four weeks before the review, SCOs send CCMDs their prioritized requirements and all changes to training lists stop. The military departments delete courses without confirmed dates.

Two weeks before the review, CCMDs submit prioritized countries and courses with justifications and the total cost of each course (SAMM C10.6.6.6.1). At the end of July, DSCA and the University meet the military departments’ financial representatives to find excess funds and recommend what to fund. The State Department then makes the final decision, after which courses cannot be changed by exception. A 15 day notification goes to Congress in mid August, and the military departments obligate every approved requirement by September 30. Out-of-cycle regional reallocations are handled case by case (SAMM C10.6.6.7).

7. Waivers and what graduates owe

Requests to waive IMET policy are reviewed during the program review at the CCMD’s working group (SAMM C10.6.7). They carry a full justification and the SCO chief’s concurrence. Requests outside the working group go from the SCO to the CCMD, copied to the University and the implementing agency, and the University and the CCMD answer jointly.

The training is expected to be used. SCOs must obtain assurances that IMET graduates are employed in the skill they learned for long enough to justify the expense to the United States (SAMM C10.6.8). The manual gives the best assignment periods as three years for senior professional military education and postgraduate programs, and two years for other training, including mid-level education and instructor courses. How graduates are kept and assigned is recorded in the country’s Combined Education and Training Program Plan.

Key terms

SCETWG	The Security Cooperation Education and Training Working Group, where each CCMD reviews IMET programs.
Apportionment	The country by country release of appropriated IMET funds by the Office of Management and Budget.
Priority code A	Training within the country’s planned and expected funding.
Priority code B	Training starting October 1 to December 31 of the next year, eligible for end of year money.
End of year reallocation	The July review that redistributes excess IMET funds, confirmed by the State Department.

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.

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