Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

Engaging the Private Sector

Military security assistance as it is currently applied is an outdated, myopic approach. It is characterized by ambiguous funding timelines, stove piped information, and the lack of unified resource application.  The U.S. can significantly increase the efficacy of security assistance resourcing through a holistic approach, integrating private and federal programs.  

One of my greatest challenges as a security assistance officer (SCO) is an unpredictable budget. It is extremely difficult to plan long-term engagement, institution building, or funding transitions with a partner when we don’t have a long-term budget. Unpredictable budgets equal unpredictable plans. The vast majority of the resources that the U.S. provides partner nations are on an annual authorization cycle: Foreign Military Financing, International Military Education and Training, Counter Terrorism Partnership Fund, and section 1206 funding (Train and Equip). Annual funding and the absence of assessments (tied to future funding) create an environment where the objective becomes the expenditure of resources instead of the achievement of a sustainable capacity.

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

Hitting the Panic Button on Rare Earth Minerals

Hitting the Panic Button on Rare Earth Minerals

Rare Earth minerals might not be at the top of your panic list today but when it comes to U.S. national security, it’s an issue that has the [...] More

Amid Crisis, A Lesser-Told Story of US-Iran Similarities Holds Some Hope

OPINION — As experts studiously debate what the latest Israel-Iran fighting will lead to, including a possible Iranian collapse, one enduring but [...] More
What Would It Take to End the Regime in Iran?

What Would it Take to End the Regime in Iran?

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING – As U.S. President Donald Trump demands Iran’s “unconditional surrender” and hints that Iran’s Supreme Leader could also be [...] More

Report for Wednesday, June 18, 2025

9:04 America/New York Wednesday, June 18 [...] More

Why Iran’s Nuclear Program Cannot Be Dismantled from the Air

OPINION — As Israel launches one of the most expansive covert-kinetic operations in recent memory against Iranian nuclear infrastructure, a critical [...] More

Israel’s Bid to End the Iranian Nuclear Threat

OPINION — In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched a series of airstrikes, codenamed Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iranian nuclear [...] More

Report for Tuesday, June 17, 2025

9:15 AM America/New York Tuesday, June 17 [...] More

Women Who Weaponized Words in World War II

BOOK REVIEW: Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women of the OSSBy Lisa Rogak / St. Martin’s PressReviewed by: Tammy Kupperman ThorpThe Reviewer [...] More

What’s Happening in L.A. May Not Stay in L.A.

OPINION / COLUMN -- “At this early stage of the proceedings, the Court [for the Northern District of California] must determine whether the President [...] More