International Security Assistance Act of 1978

Summary

International Security Assistance Act - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to authorize the appropriation of up to $2,500,000 to the President for fiscal year 1979 for the emergency assistance contingency fund. Prohibits any agent or employee of the United States Government, as part of narcotics control efforts, from interrogating or being present during the interrogation of a United States person arrested abroad, unless the person arrested has consented in writing. Authorizes the appropriation for fiscal year 1979 of a specified sum for the international narcotics control program. Prohibits the use of any funds so appropriated for the purchase of weapons or ammunition. Bans security assistance, unless the President certifies that exceptional circumstances warrant the contrary, for the domestic intelligence or other law enforcement forces of a country engaging in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally recognized human rights. Sets forth a similar prohibition with regard to assistance under the international military education and training program. Authorizes the appropriation of certain sums for fiscal year 1979 for military assistance, such assistance to be given in specified amounts to Portugal, Spain, Jordan, and the Philippines. Allows continued military assistance supply operations to Greece, Indonesia, and Thailand pursuant to existing obligations. Sets the limit on fiscal year 1979 additions to weapon stockpiles in non-Nato countries at $90,000,000. Requires sufficient justification by the executive branch that continuation of each military advisory group with more than six U.S. military personnel assigned to a country is essential to U.S. foreign policy or national security interest. Authorizes 14 such military assistance advisory groups for fiscal year 1979. Reduces the overseas personnel ceiling from 865 to 775 for fiscal year international security assistance programs. Directs the President to continue to instruct United States diplomatic and military personnel in United States missions abroad that their actions should not be intended to encourage, promote or influence foreign countries to purchase United States-made military equipment, unless such personnel or specifically instructed to do so by appropriate authorities of the executive branch. Replaces the present chapter of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 concerning security supporting assistance with provisions authorizing and implementing an economic support fund (ESF). Declares that under special economic, political, or security conditions the national interests of the United States may require economic support for countries or in amounts that could not be justified under the development assistance account. Designates the Secretary of State as being responsible for policy decisions and program justifications for the ESF. Authorizes the appropriation of specified sums for the ESF for fiscal year 1979. Provides authority for an ESF program in the Middle East. Earmarks a minimum of the following amounts for the following countries: Israel, $785,000,000; Egypt, $750,000,000; and Jordan, $93,000,000. Requests the President to provide at least $65,000,000 of the funds authorized for Egypt for the development and encouragement of private enterprise in Egypt. Directs that not less than $25,000,000 of the funds authorized for the Middle East be used to fund regional programs which stress development or scientific and technical cooperation between Israel and neighboring Arab countries, or programs which could be used for Arab-Israeli cooperation once normalization of relations occurs. Conditions expenditure of funds for a potash facility or an irrigation project in Jordan upon a determination by the President that Jordan has obtained firm commitments for the remainder of the financing. Sets aside $110,000,000 of ESF monies for the countries of southern Africa to address problems caused by the economic dislocation resulting from regional conflict and for education and job training assistance. States that such funds may be used to provide humanitarian assistance to African refugees and displaced persons, to improve transportation links disrupted or jeopardized by regional conflicts, and to provide economic support to the countries in the region. Allots not less than $50,000,000 from the ESF for assistance to Turkey, and not less than $15,000,000 for refugee relief and reconstruction on Cyprus. Repeals part VI (Middle East Assistance) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. Authorizes the appropriation of $31,800,000 in fiscal year 1979 for the international military education and training program (IMET). Prohibits the use of any of the IMET funds for Nicargua and Paraguay. Includes among the purposes of the IMET program to increase the awareness of nationals of foreign countries participating in such activities of basic issues involving internationally recognized human rights. Authorizes the appropriation of funds for fiscal year 1979 for: (1) United Nations peacekeeping forces in Cyprus and the Sinai Support Mission; (2) Assistance to Spain in connection with the 1976 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation; and (3) the Middle East special requirements fund. Authorizes the transfer, on a grant basis, of certain U.S.-owned military equipment currently located in Korea to the Republic of Korea. Authorizes the nonreimbursable furnishing of defense services related to the equipemnt transfers. Extends the partial arms embargo on Turkey. Amends the Arms Export Control Act to delineate ten nonbinding arms sales principles. Expresses the sense of the Congress that: (1) the President maintain adherence of the United States to a policy of restraint in arms exports; (2) the President increase particpation in multilateral efforts to gain the cooperation of such other suppliers; and (3) the results of multilateral efforts to restrain arms exports should be taken into account in periodic evaluations of United States arms export policy. Exempts defense procurement contracts from the provisions of the Renegotiation Act of 1951. Requires the President to transmit to Congress, as part of the presentation materials for security assistance programs proposed for countries other than NATO members, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, a report for each fiscal year estimating the value and amount of weapons to be transferred and setting forth the justification for such assistance. States that it is U.S. policy that the results of military surveys conducted by the United States in no way represent a commitment by the United States to provide military equipment to a foreign country. Establishes reporting requirements with respect to ongoing surveys and makes such surveys available to the Congress. Provides, under the Arms Control Export Act, foreign military sales financing budget authority of $674,300,000 and program authority of $2,085,200,000 for fiscal year 1979. Requires quarterly reports of commercial exports of police equipment in excess of $100,000. Requires the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency to provide Congress with a detailed arms control evaluation of each potentially controversial sale. Directs the executive branch to prepare: (1) an estimate of projected delivery dates for each arms sale; (2) a description of the equipment needed to support each sale; and (3) an analysis of the relationship between each proposed sale and projected procurement of the same item. Permits an additional 30 calendar days for the Congress to consider a proposed commercial on governmental military arms sale by obtaining a two-thirds vote of either the Senate Foreign Relations Committee or the House International Relations Committee. Directs that all U.S. exports which could have significant political-military implementations for any region of the world be reviewed by the Department of Commerce only pursuant to validated license procedures. Requires that all such sales be referred to the Secretary of State for review prior to Department of Commerce approval for export.

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3 official files

• Public Law (PDF)

  Public Law · EN · 27 September 1978

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• Conference report filed in House

  summary · EN · 7 September 1978

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 15 May 1978

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