International Training · 4 of 4
Screening does not depend on which program funds the seat. The manual applies it to everyone: "Every International Military Student (IMS) invited to participate in DoD training, regardless of sponsoring program, funding source, or security classification of the training, must satisfactorily complete the required security, medical, and other screening described in this section before a U.S. visa or Invitational Travel Order (ITO) will be issued to the IMS" (SAMM C10.8.1).
Three strands run in parallel: security, human rights, and medical fitness. Failing any of them normally ends the matter, since a student who does not meet the applicable requirements will not be authorized to train and no travel order will issue.
A few conditions apply to everyone. "The minimum age of an IMS who may participate in security cooperation (SC) training is 18 unless waived by standard exception", course prerequisites in the training catalogue must be met, and non-exempt students are tested for English comprehension (SAMM C10.8.1).
Security screening happens twice, in different places, for different reasons. The manual gives them a shared purpose: "The goal of both local security screening and DoD security vetting is to prevent nominated personnel who have a history of objectionable, unethical, or criminal behavior from being authorized to attend U.S. sponsored training" (SAMM C10.8.3).
Local screening is run in country by American government personnel with access to local sources and official databases, looking for evidence of drug trafficking, trafficking in persons, terrorist activity or support, corruption or criminal conduct. The process is developed by the embassy team and approved by the ambassador (SAMM C10.8.3.1.1).
The outcome binds. "The SCO will not accept, for any U.S. sponsored training, any foreign person who does not meet established local security screening standards unless a waiver is approved in writing by the Ambassador or an appropriate Department of State (State) designee" (SAMM C10.8.3.1.2).
Departmental vetting is a separate process with a different object. It establishes eligibility for unescorted recurring access to installations and facilities, and it is required for students and accompanying family members on courses lasting longer than 14 calendar days at a training installation in the United States. The department owning the installation may also require it for shorter courses, in which case the requirement appears in the course catalogue entry (SAMM C10.8.3.2.2).
The two are not interchangeable in both directions. Departmental vetting does not remove the need for human rights screening, though the embassy may accept it in place of local screening (SAMM C10.8.3.2.1).
The third strand is statutory in origin and narrower in what it examines. Individual members of foreign security forces, and whole units and their commanders, "must be screened (Leahy Vetted) for evidence of gross violations of human rights and human trafficking violations" where they are nominated for any United States funded training (SAMM C10.8.4).
Two exclusions define its edge, and both are worth knowing precisely.
Timing is the practical risk. The embassy office has to start the vetting far enough ahead of the programmed training date for it to finish before training begins, allowing for the State Department's lead time policy (SAMM C10.8.4). Vetting is normally carried out through a State Department tracking system.
The medical strand has two purposes. One is confirming that a student meets the health and fitness standards of the course. The other is confirming that neither the student nor an accompanying family member enters the country with a dangerous communicable disease (SAMM C10.8.5).
The examination has a shelf life. "An ITO will not be issued unless a physical exam for the IMS and every AFM is completed no more than three months prior to each person's arrival in the United States" (SAMM C10.8.5). Results are recorded in English on two standard forms, and a partner ministry physician or a practitioner from the embassy list certifies immunization status and fitness.
Where the training happens changes what is required. Training at an American facility abroad carries the same requirements as training in the United States. Training at a non-government facility in the student's own country or a third country does not carry the entry-related medical requirements. The course's own fitness standards still apply, and the third country's rules have to be met (SAMM C10.8.5.1).
The cost falls on the sending side. "The IMS or partner nation home government is responsible for all costs of establishing IMS medical eligibility for travel to participate in DoD training", and where the training itself is grant funded those examination and treatment costs are not met by the grant (SAMM C10.8.5.2.2).
Screening depends on information that only the partner can supply, and the manual puts the obligation there. The purchaser or benefiting partner must ensure that the medical, biographic and biometric information required for the training and the training location reaches the embassy office in the time and format requested (SAMM C10.8.2.4).
Late information has a price. Where it does not arrive in time for the reviews to finish, "the responsible Military Department (MILDEP) or IA may cancel or reschedule the training", and penalty fees may be collected under the financial management regulations (SAMM C10.8.2.4.2).
Substitutions carry their own handling. A student removed from a training line before training starts is replaced, and the original student's data is expunged from those records. A student removed after training has started cannot simply be swapped, and the line is terminated and rebuilt under a new control number (SAMM C10.8.2.3).
For a supplier whose delivery schedule assumes trained operators on a date, this is the part of the program most likely to move that date. The eligibility question sits with the individual, not with the case.
| ITO | Invitational travel order, which does not issue until screening is complete. SAMM C10.8.1. |
|---|---|
| Leahy vetting | Human rights screening for gross violations and human trafficking, triggered by United States funding. |
| CRA | Credentialed recurring access, the unescorted installation access that departmental vetting establishes. |
| AFM | Accompanying family member, screened alongside the student. |
| SCN | Student control number, the identifier a student keeps across programs and years. |
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.
Programs that depend on trained operators arriving on a date need the people, the movement and the site to work together. Sentfore provides secure transport, protective security, accommodation and site support for defense programs in complex environments. Requirements can be sent through the contact page.