---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 20 Jul 2001 15:07:18 -0700
From: Charlotte Utting <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [WASAN] FW: ACTION: Hold US Accountable for Military Training & HR
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From: [log in to unmask]
Organization: Africa Action
Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 11:32:45 -0400
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: ACTION: Hold US Accountable for Military Training & HR
ADNA Action: 010710
Message from: Federation of American Scientists
For contact information see also:
http://www.africapolicy.org/adna
Dear ADNA members,
Following find Africa-specific data from the Center for International
Policy, and the full action alert from the Stop Feeding the Monster
Campaign, via Federation of American Scientists. Feel free to
share this widely with your contacts. Thank you for supporting this
action.
Regards,
Vicki Ferguson
ADNA Co-facilitator for Africa Action
In sub-Sahara Africa 6096 military personnel were trained in 2000
under the U.S. foreign military training programs and covered 45 of
53 countries on the continent. This figure was an increase of about
20% on previous fiscal year 1999 and included training under the
auspices of the ACRI, ACSS, IMET, and JCET programs.
In Africa, Angola entrenched in a long running civil war, Eritrea and
Ethiopia having just emerged from their own brutal border dispute,
Liberia which has been earmarked for sanctions by the U.N. for
destabilizing neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone. Nigeria for
concerns over abuses in the Niger Delta, as well as Namibia,
Rwanda, Uganda and Zimbabwe for their involvement in Africa's first
world war in the Congo are certainly prime candidates for closer
scrutiny by congress over alleged abuses of human rights and plain
old corruption and a general anti-democratic atmosphere.
We invite you to support this action alert from the Stop Feeding the
Monster Campaign, especially because of its significance for Africa.
Thank you,
Paul Olweny
Center for International Policy
From: "Tamar Gabelnick" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Stop Feeding the Monster Alert: Hold the U.S.
Accountable for Foreign Military Training
Please find below the second action alert of the Arms Transfers
Working Group's Stop Feeding the Monster initiative. Please pass it
on to your networks. Apologies for sending out two alerts in a short
time period. We'll try to space them out more in the future.
Thanks!
Tamar Gabelnick
_______________________________________
HELP MAKE THE UNITED STATES ACCOUNTABLE FOR ITS
TRAINING OF FOREIGN
MILITARIES
The U.S. trains nearly 40,000 non-NATO military personnel each
year, both in their own countries and at over 100 facilities on U.S.
soil. In the Western Hemisphere, this includes every military except
Cuba.
On too many occasions, U.S. trainees have gone on to abuse
human rights, to undermine their countries' democracies, or to
enrich themselves through corruption. Because these acts may
contradict stated U.S. foreign policy goals of promoting human
rights and democracy, there needs to be greater oversight of U.S.
training activities.
On several occasions, training programs have even undermined the
stated will of Congress. For example, Congress imposed a ban on
training for the Indonesian military through the International Military
Training and Education account because of concern about its poor
human rights record. However, the Department of Defense
continued training Indonesian forces, using funds out of another
account. More recently, counter-narcotics battalions were formed
and trained in Colombia before the Plan Colombia military aid
package was agreed to by Congress.
Congress and the public have a right to know who is being trained
by the U.S. military and for what purpose. Yet little information
about training or its impact is available today. Existing reports that
are available to the public are incomplete and often vague.
The Foreign Military Training Responsibility Act (HR 1594),
introduced on April 26 by Rep. Moakley (D-MA) and now led by
Rep. McGovern (D-MA) would dramatically improve oversight and
accountability by mandating that the Secretary of State:
- report on U.S. training of foreign military personnel,
- report on U.S. training of foreign police forces, and
- work with the Department of Defense to maintain a database on
the future career paths of trainees for all training programs.
The bill would also create a bipartisan congressional task force to re-
evaluate the practice of education and training for foreign military
personnel and to recommend criteria for future training.
"With the continuance of serious human rights abuses across the
globe, and our intervention in countries like Colombia, Indonesia
and so many others, it is imperative that the United States develop a
responsible training policy. If we are going to promote the respect
for human rights abroad, we must ensure that our own policies
reflect dignity and respect for all people." — Rep. Moakley in a
letter to his colleagues
ACTION: Ask your representative to co-sponsor HR 1594, the
"Foreign Military Training and Responsibility Act." Let your
representative know that you believe U.S. bears some responsibility
for the actions taken by its foreign military trainees. Mention that
HR 1594 will establish reporting requirements which will make the
U.S. training programs for foreign militaries more transparent and
accountable. If your member is already a cosponsor of this
legislation, please take the time to thank him/her. Click here to see a
list of representatives who have cosponsored this legislation:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d107:HR01594:@@@P
Please write to your representative at:
Rep. ________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Or call using the Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121
To find out who your members of Congress are, click here:
http://www.house.gov/writerep/
MAKE LETTER WRITING EASIER:
Start with the sample letter posted in the Friends Committee on
National Legislation's Legislative Action Center (also pasted below),
personalize the language, then send your message as an email
directly from their site or print it out and mail it. To view the sample
letter, click on the link below, enter your zip code, then click <Go>
in the <Take Action Now> box. Here is the link:
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/alert/?alertid=41714
Sample Letter to Your Member:
Dear Rep. ___________,
I urge you to cosponsor the Foreign Military Training and
Responsibility Act (HR 1594). This bill would require public
reporting of foreign military training practices and would create a
Congressional task force to assess the appropriateness of current
U.S. training practices.
I am concerned that, while the U.S. trains nearly 40,000 non-NATO
military personnel each year, little information is available about the
training or conduct of the trainees afterwards. We must ensure that
such training is not provided to militaries that violate human rights or
that don't respect democratic processes and institutions.
Sometimes, U.S. military training appears to go beyond or around
stated U.S. foreign policy. For example, even after Congress had
cut off some training funds for the Indonesian military, citing its
abysmal human rights record, the Department of Defense continued
training Indonesian forces using funds from another account. More
recently, counter-narcotics battalions were formed and trained in
Colombia before the Plan Colombia military aid package was agreed
to by Congress.
I urge you to cosponsor HR 1594, the Foreign Military Training and
Responsibility Act. Congress must have access to the information
necessary to ensure that U.S. training policy is consistent with
stated U.S. foreign policy goals of human rights and democracy.
Sincerely,
Your name
_______________________________
Stop Feeding the Monster is a public education and advocacy
initiative of the Arms Trade Working Group. It seeks to broaden and
strengthen the community of people speaking out against arms
sales, military aid, and training to states involved in conflict or with
severe human rights problems. For more information, or to be taken
off this list, contact Tamar Gabelnick at the Federation of American
Scientists ([log in to unmask])
***
This message from the Federation of American Scientists is
distributed through the Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA).
Vicki Lynn Ferguson
Advocacy Network for Africa (ADNA)
Communications Facilitator
[log in to unmask]
c/o
Africa Action
[incorporating the American Committee on Africa (ACOA), The
Africa Fund, and the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC)]
visit our website: http://www.africapolicy.org/
Washington Office:
110 Maryland Ave., Suite 508 NE Washington, DC 20002
Tel:202-546-7961, Fax:202-546-1545 e-mail: [log in to unmask]
New York office:
50 Broad Street, Suite 1701, New York, NY 10004
Tel:212-785-1024, Fax:212-785-1078, e-mail: [log in to unmask]
Next WASAN meeting is Wednesday, July 25, Safeco Jackson St. Center, 23rd S and S Main, Suite 200, Seattle
7:00 PM WASAN business meeting
7:30 PM Program: "MORE THAN JUST A FUNKY BEAT; A primer on some of the African music to be enjoyed at WOMAD."
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