A study of the United States Army Security Assistance Training Program

Since the beginnings of the Cold War, the United States has provided arms and training to selected allied or friendly nations. Through the Security Assistance Training Program (SATP), over 500,000 foreign military personnel from 123 countries have been trained by the U.S. military services. Despite its relative low cost and low profile, the SATP has been a significant tool of U.S. foreign Policy by establishing communication and influence with elites, particularly of Third World nations. The Department of Defense and the Department of the Army have established a large, worldwide organization to manage the SATP. These agencies are generally well staffed. Yet, the SATP could be more capably administered at the Army Service School level. There, the Foreign Training Officer is chiefly responsible for the experience each international military student has while in the United States. This thesis offers several recommendations which the author believes would strengthen the SATP