Lora Lumpe <llumpe@mindspring.com> is a researcher and writer based in Washington, DC. She is a senior associate with the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo, working on the Norwegian Initiative on Small Arms Transfers, and she consults with and for several human rights and peace groups. She is on the advisory board for the Foreign Policy In Focus Project. Her recent books include Running Guns: The Global Black Market in Small Arms (London: Zed Books, 2000) and The Arms Trade Revealed: A Guide for Investigators and Activists (Washington: Federation of American Scientists, 1998).
Executive Summary
Over the past decade one of the principal means by which the U.S. has interacted with almost all governments in the world is by training their military forces. In recent years U.S. forces have been training approximately 100,000 foreign soldiers annually. This training takes place in at least 150 institutions within the U.S. and in 180 countries around the world.1
The means and programs through which this training is provided have mushroomed. Since 1994, funding for the best-known of these programs, the International Military Education and Training program (IMET), has increased fourfold. During this period each of the military training programs has been justified, at least partially, as strengthening human rights and democratization. In truth, most of the programs have had no discernible focus on human rights and have been carried out in a highly, if not completely, unaccountable manner. The State Department’s 2002 Human Rights Report cited the security forces in 51 of the countries receiving IMET training (38% of the total) for their poor human rights records (see Map 1, and Appendix 2).
Map 1: U.S. Foreign Military Training and Human Rights Abuse
Since 1994, funding for IMET (International Military Education and Training), the best-known of the U.S. foreign military training programs, has increased fourfold. Based on the State Department's Human Rights Report, the armed forces in 50 of these countries that receive over $100,000 in IMET funds have poor human rights records. For a country-by-country accounting of IMET recipients and the State Department’s assessment of their human rights records, see Appendix 2, pages 41-45.
Methodology: This map includes all countries currently receiving IMET funds. The darkest color indicates those countries receiving over $100,000 in IMET training whose security forces are cited by the State Department for human rights violations Guatemala, Haiti, Nepal, and several other countries generally cited by human rights organizations for poor human rights records are not included because the State Department report did not reach the same conclusion.
Several different congressional committees bear oversight responsibility for military training. None has command of the big picture—the scope, magnitude, and potential impact of this domain of U.S. foreign policy. U.S. military training programs expanded during the 1990s with insufficient congressional oversight and scant public debate.
Training programs in the past decade were justified mainly on counternarcotics or “peacekeeping” grounds, but the September 2001 terrorist attacks have created a new rationale for expanding them. In December 2001, Congress established a new regional counterterrorism fellowship program to fund training of foreign officers at U.S. military institutions. This program is aimed primarily at Indonesian officers—currently banned by a separate act of Congress from receiving other forms of military training due to the Indonesian Army’s egregious human rights record.
Since September 11, the Bush administration has offered police or military training to a growing list of countries said to be at the front lines in the fight against global terrorism—including Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Ethiopia, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Colombia. Many of these new allies have extensive records of ongoing human rights violations, including torture and assassination (see Appendix 2, pages 41-45). The administration’s March 2002 “emergency supplemental appropriations” request includes well over a billion dollars in new military aid and training. Among the items requested is $100,000,000 that the Defense Department would distribute for weapons and training to countries it would secretly choose; it would do so without congressional oversight; and it would assert the right to discard any human rights or other conditions that Congress has developed over the past decades to minimize unintended negative consequences of U.S. military aid.
Training conducted by covert intelligence units has been a perennial problem for oversight, and new problems have been created by the trend toward outsourcing training to private companies. Now the Bush administration is seeking to restrict the flow of information to Congress and the public even more. Most notably, the executive branch is trying to scale back the Foreign Military Training Report, which in recent years has provided the most comprehensive public accounting available, and is seeking authority to provide assistance with no transparency or accountability, as in the 2002 emergency supplemental request.
Greater scrutiny needs to be devoted in particular to the widespread training deployments of U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF). These troops, which operate in small commando units and utilize unconventional warfare tactics, have gained acclaim for their role in the war in Afghanistan and enjoy greater public prominence with recent revelations that they are training Filipino, Yemeni, and Georgian troops. In reality, these forces have been training foreign military and paramilitary forces in these and other countries around the world throughout the past decade, but their routine training deployments have been shrouded in secrecy.
Questions persist about the skills that SOF units are conveying and the impact of this assistance. During the cold war and throughout the 1990s, these troops were revealed to be training foreign units with bloody records, including the Atlacatl Battalion in El Salvador in 1989 (this battalion killed six Jesuit priests whom they viewed as too sympathetic to guerrillas, their housekeeper, and her young daughter during that same year) and Kopassus units in Indonesia through mid-1998 (these units supported and armed militias in East Timor that brutally attacked and killed citizens and UN officials during the vote for independence in 1999).
The long-term legacies of foreign military training must not be excluded from current decisionmaking about the costs and benefits of this exercise of foreign policy. Throughout the cold war, the U.S. government facilitated and condoned many human rights abuses by providing training and assistance justified in the name of fighting “global communism.” Some of the unintended consequences of doing so are only now coming to light. Most notably, by arming and training local anticommunist forces in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the U.S. government helped establish the global network of militant anti-Western Muslim fundamentalists that it is now combating. If in this current effort U.S. forces intervene and provide training in support of regimes repressing legitimate political activism and/or using torture or coercion to maintain power, they are likely to foster, rather than diminish, political violence (terrorism) around the globe.
Given the pace at which military-to-military relations are now being established and ratcheted up in the name of fighting terrorism, serious scrutiny is needed more than ever to ensure that America’s fight against terrorism is pursued by means and in partnerships consistent with its democratic ideals and with national and international legal obligations.
This report outlines the range of known training programs, the budgets for those programs, some of the human rights issues raised, and areas needing congressional and public oversight.
Among the key recommendations of this report are:
Appendix 2:
IMET Training* & Human Rights Abuse: The Official Record
* Figures in thousands
IMET IMET IMET Quotes from State Department FY FY FY Human Rights Report issued Country 2001 2002 Request in March 2002 AFRICA Algeria 121 200 500 Despite continued improvements, particularly in addressing problems of torture and arbitrary detention, the human rights situation remained generally poor. Angola 100 100 The Government's human rights record remained poor. Members of the security forces committed extrajudicial killings, were responsible for disappearances, and tortured, beat, raped, and otherwise abused persons. Cameroon 223 190 200 The Government's human rights record remained generally poor, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses. Security forces committed numerous extrajudicial killings and were responsible for disappearances. They also tortured and otherwise abused detainees, generally with impunity. Central 116 110 110 The Government's poor human rights record worsened in some areas… Security forces continued to commit extrajudicial killings, including government-approved executions of suspected bandits. African Republic Chad 173 130 130 The Government's human rights record remained poor…. State security forces committed extrajudicial killings and disappearances, and they continued to torture, beat, and abuse persons. Congo, 86 110 110 The Government's human rights record remained poor, and it continued Democratic to commit numerous, serious abuses… Security forces were responsible Republic for extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, beatings, rape, and other abuses. Djibouti 132 160 185 The Government's human rights record remained poor. Members of the security forces continued to commit extrajudicial killings. There were credible reports that security forces beat, otherwise abused, and at times tortured detainees. Eritrea 155 375 400 The Government's poor human rights record worsened, and it committed serious abuses…Many observers believe that the police occasionally resorted to torture and physical beatings of prisoners, particularly during interrogations. Ethiopia 475 500 The Government's human rights record remained poor; although there were some improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained. Security forces committed a number of extrajudicial killings. Gabon 131 160 160 The Government's human rights record was generally poor in some areas, and some longstanding human rights abuses continued…The security forces beat and tortured prisoners and detainees; arbitrary arrest and detention were problems. Guinea 254 250 250 The Government's human rights record was poor… Extrajudicial killings; disappearances; use of torture, beatings, and rape by police and military personnel; and police abuse of prisoners and detainees. Soldiers, police, and civilian militia groups killed, beat, and raped citizens. Kenya 443 600 600 The Government's human rights record remained poor; it continued to commit numerous, serious abuses…Security forces continued to commit extrajudicial killings, torture detainees, use excessive force, rape. Mauritania 83 100 100 The Government's human rights record remained generally poor. Police used excessive force, beat, or otherwise abused detainees, and used arbitrary arrest and illegal searches. Mozambique 200 215 215 The Government's human rights record remained poor, and although there were some improvements in a few areas, it continued to commit serious abuses. Police continued to commit numerous abuses, including extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force, torture, and other abuses. Niger 102 110 110 The Government's human rights record remained generally poor; although there were improvements in several areas, some serious problems remain… Police and members of the security forces beat and otherwise abused persons. Nigeria 663 750 800 The Government's human rights record was poor; although improvements continued in several areas during the year, serious problems remain. The national police, army, and security forces committed extrajudicial killings and often used excessive force. Rwanda 100 150 The Government's poor human rights record worsened, and the Government continued to commit numerous, serious abuses; however, there were some improvements in a few areas… The security forces committed extrajudicial killings within the country. Sierra Leone 130 200 250 The Government's human rights record was poor in several areas; while there continued to be significant improvements in some areas, serious problems remained… There were numerous deaths in custody. Swaziland 98 100 100 The Government's human rights record was generally poor… The Government generally failed to prosecute or otherwise discipline officers who committed abuses. Tanzania 214 200 230 The Government's human rights record was poor; while there were improvements in a few areas, there continued to be serious problems…Police killed several persons, and regularly threatened or mistreated suspected criminals. Uganda 100 170 The Government's human rights record was poor … Security forces used excessive force, at times resulting in death, and committed or failed to prevent some extrajudicial killings of suspected rebels and civilians. Zambia 181 190 225 The Government's human rights record remained generally poor; however, there were some improvements in a few areas… Police officers reportedly committed several extrajudicial killings and frequently beat and otherwise abused criminal suspects and detainees. EAST ASIA AND PACIFIC Fiji 100 The Government's human rights record remained poor… Ethnically based discrimination remains a serious problem. Indonesia 400 400 The Government's human rights record remained poor. Security forces were responsible for numerous instances of, at times indiscriminate, shooting of civilians, torture, rape, beatings and other abuse, and arbitrary detention in Aceh, West Timor, Papua (formerly known as Irian Jaya), and elsewhere in the country. Laos 50 100 The Government's human rights record remained poor throughout the year. Prisoners are abused and tortured, and prison conditions generally are extremely harsh and life threatening. Malaysia 757 700 800 The Government generally respected its citizens' rights in some areas; however, its record was poor in a number of other areas, and significant problems remain. Police committed a number of extrajudicial killings. Philippines 1,436 2,000 2,400 The Government generally respected the human rights of citizens; however, there were serious problems in some areas. Members of the security services were responsible for extrajudicial killings, disappearances, torture, and arbitrary arrest and detention; there were allegations by human rights groups that these problems worsened as the Government sought to intensify its campaign against the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG). Tonga 100 115 125 The Government's human rights record was generally poor in several areas, and the principal human rights abuse remained severe restrictions on the right of citizens to change their government. EUROPE AND EURASIA Albania 1,200 800 900 The Government's human rights record was poor in many areas; however, there were some improvements …Police beat and otherwise abused suspects, detainees, and prisoners…. Prison conditions remained poor. Armenia 400 750 The Government's human rights record remained poor; however, there were improvements in a few areas. …There were deaths in police custody and deaths in the military as a result of mistreatment. Azerbaijan 400 750 The Government's human rights record remained poor… Some prison inmates and detainees died in part due to mistreatment by the authorities. Police tortured and beat persons in custody and used excessive force to extract confessions. Arbitrary arrest and detention was a problem. Bosnia 1,109 800 900 The Government's human rights record remained poor; although there were some -Herzegovina improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained…. Police continued to abuse and physically mistreat detainees and other citizens. Georgia 481 850 1,200 The Government's human rights record remained poor and worsened in several areas. Security forces continued to torture, beat, and otherwise abuse detainees. Kazakhstan 583 800 1,000 The Government's human rights record was poor; although there were significant improvements in a few areas, serious problems remained… Members of the security forces committed a small number of extrajudicial killings during mistreatment of detainees and abuse of military conscripts. Kyrgyzstan 380 600 1,100 The Government's human rights record remained poor; members of the security forces at times tortured, beat, and otherwise mistreated persons. Macedonia 741 550 650 The Government's human rights record significantly worsened during the year in the context of the ethnic-Albanian insurgency led by the NLA… Police committed extrajudicial killings and killed civilians during combat operations. Tajikistan 250 350 The Government's human rights record remained poor. Some members of the security forces committed extrajudicial killings. There were a number of disappearances and kidnappings. Security forces at times tortured, beat, and abused detainees. Turkey 1,689 2,700 2,800 The Government generally respected its citizens' human rights in a number of areas; however, its record was poor in some areas, and several serious problems remained. Extrajudicial killings continued, including deaths due to excessive use of force and torture. Turkmenistan 258 450 450 The Government's human rights record remained extremely poor… The Government continued to commit serious human rights abuses, and the authorities severely restricted political and civil liberties.…Security forces continued to beat and otherwise mistreat suspects and prisoners. Ukraine 1,443 1,700 1,700 The Government's human rights record was poor; however, there were improvements in a few areas. Police and prison officials tortured and beat detainees and prisoners, at times killing them. Uzbekistan 494 1,000 1,200 The Government's human rights record remained very poor, and it continued to commit numerous serious abuses… Security force mistreatment resulted in the deaths of several citizens in custody… Prison conditions were poor, and pretrial detention can be prolonged. NEAR EAST ASIA Lebanon 546 600 700 The Government's overall human rights record was poor … Members of the security forces used excessive force and tortured and abused some detainees…. Government abuses also included the arbitrary arrest and detention of persons who were critical of government policies. Saudi Arabia+ 25 25 The Government's human rights record remained poor… Security forces continued to abuse detainees and prisoners, arbitrarily arrest and detain persons. Yemen 198 450 650 The Government generally respected human rights in some areas; however, its record was poor in several other areas, and serious problems remain…. Members of the security forces killed a number of persons during the year. + Saudi Arabia receives a relatively small amount of IMET assistance, but like the other countries on this list has a poor human rights record according to the State Department. Although receiving little direct U.S. military aid or training assistance, Saudi Arabia has received U.S. arms exports totaling $35 billion in the past decade. SOUTH ASIA Bangladesh 507 600 750 The Government's human rights record remained poor. Police committed a number of extrajudicial killings, and some persons died in police custody under suspicious circumstances. Police routinely used torture, beatings, and other forms of abuse while interrogating suspects. Police frequently beat demonstrators. Pakistan 1,000 1,000 The Government's human rights record remained poor…Police committed numerous extrajudicial killings. Sri Lanka 252 275 350 Serious problems in some areas, and the ongoing war with the LTTE continued to lead to serious human rights abuses by both sides. Security forces committed numerous extrajudicial killings during the year. Disappearances also remain a problem. The military and police reportedly tortured detainees. WESTERN HEMISPHERE Colombia 1,040 1,180 1,180 Government's human rights record remained poor…Government security forces continued to commit serious abuses, including extrajudicial killings. Dominican 513 500 500 The Government's human rights record was poor. Police committed extrajudicial Republic killings. The police, and to a lesser degree the military, tortured, beat, and otherwise abused detainees and prisoners. Ecuador 550 625 650 The Government's human rights record was poor in a number of areas and serious problems remain. There were credible reports that police committed extrajudicial killings. Security forces killed several protesters during demonstrations. Venezuela 485 500 700 There were improvements in some human rights areas during the year; however, the Government's human rights record remained poor or worsened in other areas… The police and military committed extrajudicial killings of criminal suspects at an increased rate… Excessive use of deadly force by police and security forces continued to be a serious problem.
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