Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 4.djvu/262

 108 STAT. 2896 PUBLIC LAW 103-337—OCT. 5, 1994 (c) FORM OF REPORT. —The report under subsection (a) shall be submitted in unclassified form and, to the extent necessary, in classified form. SEC. 1315. REVIEW AND REPORT REGARDING DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PROGRAMS RELATING TO REGIONAL SECURITY AND HOST NATION DEVELOPMENT IN THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE. (a) FINDINGS. —Congress makes the following findings: (1) The political environment in the Western Hemisphere has been characterized in recent years by significant democratic advances and an absence of international strife, but democracy in some nations of the region is fragile. (2) It is desirable for the Department of Defense to perform a positive role in influencing the defense establishments and military forces of nations in the Western Hemisphere to make positive contributions to the democratic process and to domestic development programs of their respective nations. (3) Congress receives a number of annual reports relating to specific authorities granted to the Secretary of Defense under title 10, United States Code, such as the authorities relating to the conduct of bilateral or regional cooperation programs under section 1051 of that title, participation of developing countries in combined exercises under section 2010 of that title, and the training of special operations forces with fiiendly forces under section 2011 of that title. (4) The annual reports are replete with statistics and dollar figures and generally lacking in substance. (5) Congress does not receive annual reports with respect to other authorities of the Secretary of Defense, such as that relating to Latin American cooperation under section 1050 of title 10, United States Code. (6) Testimony before Congress (including in particular the testimony of the commander of the United States Southern Command and the commander of the United States Atlantic Command) has emphasized the conduct of a large number of complementary programs under the leadership and supervision of those two commanders to foster appropriate military roles in democratic host nations and to assist countries in developing forces properly trained to address their security needs, including needs regarding illegal immigration, insurgencies, smuggling of illegal arms, munitions, and explosives across borders, and drug trafficking. (7) Most of the programs referred to in paragraph (6) provide excellent and often unique training and experience to the United States forces involved. (8) Military-to-military contact programs in the Western Hemisphere provide another tool to encourage a democratic orientation of the defense establishments and military forces of countries in the region. (9) There is a need for the Secretary of Defense to conduct a comprehensive review of the several authorities in title 10, United States Code, for the Secretary of Defense to engage in cooperative regional security programs with other countries in the Western Hemisphere in order to determine whether the authorities continue to be appropriate and necessary.

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