our ability to deliver equipment still lags behind, often taking 12 to 18 months

Mr. Reid, I understand that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) deploys personnel to work with country teams in many priority countries.

Mr. Reid, al Qaeda and affiliated violent extremist groups work hard to appeal to local populations.

Somalia is a unique problem set as it is a failed state.

What would be the pros and cons of personnel contributions to the U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

Increased U.S. contributions would provide additional expertise and capabilities in support of U.N. peacekeeping missions.

Are you confident that DOS is committed to making this initiative work jointly?

What remains the main impediment under the 1206 program to delivering equipment when it is needed?

In the decades to come, the most lethal threats to the United States' safety and security are likely to emanate from states that cannot adequately govern themselves or secure their own territory.

Mr. Reid, once a 1206 program has provided equipment or training in response to an emerging threat, when should that security assistance be handed off to more traditional security assistance programs like FMF?

Improving how the United States builds partner capacity is an essential national security requirement that will endure for the foreseeable future.

the 1206 program was designed to provide a more flexible means to respond to emerging threats

It was an incredible sight to see.

Do you have any concern that this initiative is too much of a militarization of foreign policy?

Despite a significant and concerted international effort which includes various U.S. agencies and the U.S. military, piracy in the northwestern Indian Ocean and the approaches to the vital sea lanes through the Gulf of Aden continues…

Mr. Reid, what criteria do you use to determine when a program should graduate out of the section 1206 program?

Mr. Reid, has DOD developed plans for monitoring the outcomes of these projects, as recommended by a 2010 Government Accountability Office study?

I was in Afghanistan in January and had an opportunity to go to the training center there for the ANSF and was quite impressed with the group that we saw.