Conclusion

The United States has increasingly relied on security partners to accomplish shared security objectives. Because the United States provides its security partners with security assistance and weapons sales and sometimes deploys U.S. military personnel on the ground to fight alongside partners, it has considerable leverage to change the behavior of its security partners when it does not align with, or is even harmful towards, U.S. interests. At the same time, in many cases policymakers have few metrics to measure whether these partnerships are successful. Some are even calling for a fundamental rethink of some of the United States’ long-standing partnerships. Congress has a critical role to play in the relationship between the United States and its security partners. By increasing transparency around these relationships via reporting requirements and hearings, using the power of the purse, and invoking existing legislation, Congress can use the existing authorities and tools at its disposal to manage relationships with our security partners.