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Summary

Section 1206 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2006 provides the Secretary of Defense with authority to train and equip foreign military and foreign maritime security forces. The Department of Defense (DOD) values this authority as an important tool to train and equip military partners. Funds may be obligated only with the concurrence of the Secretary of State. Thus far, the Department of Defense (DOD) has used Section 1206 authority primarily to provide counterterrorism support. This authority expires in FY2011. As of September 28, 2009, Section 1206 obligations total just over $1 billion for FY2006 through FY2009. Section 1206 obligations totaled some $106 million in FY2006, $277 million in FY2007, and $289 million in FY2008. As of September 28, 2009, FY2009 obligations totaled $340.6 million. For FY2010, DOD first requested a $400 million appropriation for Section 1206 programs, but then appears to have revised its actual request to $345 million. In the respective versions of the FY2010 NDAA (H.R. 2647, reported June 18, and S. 1390, reported July 2, respectively), neither the House nor the Senate armed services committee appeared inclined to raise the authorized limit from its current $350 million level. (Across-the-board mandated cuts reduce the actual amount available for FY2010 from the authorized $350 million to about $346 million, according to DOD.) As reported by the House Appropriations Committee (July 16, 2009, H.Rept. 111-230) and passed by the House (July 22, 2009), the House version of the DOD appropriations act (H.R. 3326) would appropriate $195 million for Section 1206 funding. The Senate Appropriations Committee version (reported September 10, 2009, S.Rept. 111-74) would appropriate $345 million. In related legislation, as passed by the House on June 10, Section 841 of the FY2010-FY2011 Foreign Relations Authorization Act (H.R. 2410) would create a new "Security Assistance Contingency Fund" for the State Department with purposes that would overlap with Section 1206.

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