International Training · 2 of 4
The International Military Education and Training program is often described as a defense program. It is not. The manual describes it as "a Department of State (State) program, jointly managed by DSCA and State, that funds military education and training courses for international military, and related civilian personnel of foreign countries" (SAMM C10.6.1).
The division of labor is stated plainly. "State has overall responsibility for the IMET program." Congress appropriates the funds each year under the Foreign Assistance Act, and country allocations are justified and documented in the congressional budget justification for foreign operations (SAMM C10.6.2.1).
Money then moves through the defense side. On the basis of congressional guidance and State approved country allocations, the agency issues the funds to the military departments, which disburse them to specific country programs and courses. The same two-department structure governs the grant money that buys equipment, described in how financing is appropriated and notified.
The stated objectives are relational as much as technical. They are to encourage effective and mutually beneficial relations and increased understanding, to develop rapport and communication links, and then three concrete aims: to "develop host nation training self-sufficiency; improve host nation ability to manage its defense establishment; and develop skills to operate and maintain U.S.-origin equipment" (SAMM C10.6.3.1).
Courses are delivered primarily at military schoolhouses in the United States, which the manual treats as part of the point. Attendance exposes the student to American practices and standards alongside American students (SAMM C10.6.1).
Inside the same authority sits a separate category with its own purpose. Under it, "military and civilian personnel are trained in managing and administering military establishments and budgets; in promoting civilian control of the military; and in creating and maintaining effective military justice systems and military codes of conduct in accordance with internationally recognized human rights" (SAMM C10.6.3.2).
Its objectives extend to responsible defense resource management, cooperation between military and law enforcement personnel on counternarcotics work, and improvement of military justice procedures.
Courses are certified into the category on a curriculum determination, and certification does not last indefinitely: "Courses that are certified as E-IMET will be reviewed at five-year intervals" (SAMM C10.6.3.2.2). A schoolhouse that substantively changes a certified curriculum has to resubmit it.
The category matters most where a country is restricted to it. For those countries, English language training and support such as language labs qualify, and participation is limited to stand-alone language training, language support, or preparatory language training tied to another certified course (SAMM C10.6.3.2.3).
The default is that the student comes to the United States. Sending a team the other way is an exception that has to be authorized in advance.
A mobile training team may deliver instruction in country on temporary duty, but only where the combatant command and the agency have approved a policy waiver, or an exception exists. The waiver has to be in hand "prior to programming or making any offer or commitment to the foreign government" (SAMM C10.6.3.3).
The bar for that waiver is set by two tests. A request "should clearly demonstrate that the MTT is the best training option and that IMET is the only funding option", and teams funded this way are expected to support the train-the-trainer concept (SAMM C10.6.3.3.1). Teams in the expanded category, and in-country English language surveys run by the language center, do not need the waiver.
Several limits shape what a country program can realistically contain.
There is a tolerance built into the last one. A course planned at or below the threshold that later exceeds it through a price increase of not more than 10 percent does not need a waiver (SAMM C10.6.3.7).
The program is built around government schoolhouses. "IMET funds are primarily intended to provide DoD training. Training by U.S. contractors can be considered when the required training is not available within DoD resources" (SAMM C10.6.3.8).
Using a contractor therefore takes a waiver, and the agency seeking it has to coordinate with the other implementing agencies and record in the justification that the training is not available through any departmental source.
Technical training sits in a similar position. It can be done under the program, but the manual says it "should be a minimal component of the overall program", and points to three narrow uses: covering a significant host country deficiency, building in-country instructor capacity, and equipping a student for peace support operations. Otherwise it is normally funded through a sales case (SAMM C10.6.3.10). What that route involves is set out in how American companies supply the program.
| IMET | International Military Education and Training, a State Department program jointly managed with the defense agency. SAMM C10.6.1. |
|---|---|
| E-IMET | The expanded category, covering defense management, civilian control and military justice. |
| PME | Professional military education, exempt from the high-cost restriction. |
| MTT | Mobile training team, allowed under this program only with a prior policy waiver. |
| ELT | English language training, excluded from the five week minimum and from the implementing agency count. |
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.
Grant funded education is delivered in the United States, while the equipment it supports is used somewhere harder. Sentfore works at that end, providing secure movement, protective security, accommodation and site support for defense programs in difficult environments. Requirements can be sent through the contact page.