Title 50War and National DefenseRelease 119-73

§2912 Authority to provide assistance to cooperative countries

Title 50 › Chapter CHAPTER 43— - PREVENTING WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION PROLIFERATION AND TERRORISM › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER I— - PROLIFERATION SECURITY INITIATIVE › § 2912

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The President may give aid to any country that works with the United States and its allies to stop the movement or shipment of dangerous materials in that country’s land, airspace, or on ships it controls or registers. The help can come as export-control and related assistance, other foreign assistance programs, or transfers/drawdowns of excess defense equipment and services. The President must wait at least 30 days after telling key House and Senate committees and must certify the aid will be used as described below. A country can get this aid for no more than 3 fiscal years. The aid must be used to strengthen a country’s ability to stop transporting or hiding dangerous items, including by making laws that criminalize proliferation, tightening export controls, securing sensitive materials, and improving cooperation in PSI operations. The President also may not transfer an excess defense ship or aircraft to a country that has not agreed to help U.S. interdiction efforts, consistent with international law, until 30 days after notifying the same committees. That rule does not apply to transfers that are not significant military equipment when the main use will be counternarcotics, counterterrorism, or counter‑proliferation.

Full Legal Text

Title 50, §2912

War and National Defense — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The President is authorized to provide assistance under subsection (b) to any country that cooperates with the United States and with other countries allied with the United States to prevent the transport and transshipment of items of proliferation concern in its national territory or airspace or in vessels under its control or registry.
(b)The assistance authorized under subsection (a) consists of the following:
(1)Assistance under section 2763 of title 22.
(2)Assistance under chapters 4 (22 U.S.C. 2346 et seq.) and 5 (22 U.S.C. 2347 et seq.) of part II of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
(3)Drawdown of defense 11 So in original. The word “defense” probably should not appear before “excess”. excess defense articles and services under section 516 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2321j).
(c)Assistance authorized under this section may not be provided until at least 30 days after the date on which the President has provided notice thereof to the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, in accordance with the procedures applicable to reprogramming notifications under section 634A(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394–1(a)), and has certified to such committees that such assistance will be used in accordance with the requirement of subsection (e) of this section.
(d)Assistance may be provided to a country under subsection (a) in no more than 3 fiscal years.
(e)Assistance provided under this section shall be used to enhance the capability of the recipient country to prevent the transport and transshipment of items of proliferation concern in its national territory or airspace, or in vessels under its control or registry, including through the development of a legal framework in that country to enhance such capability by criminalizing proliferation, enacting strict export controls, and securing sensitive materials within its borders, and to enhance the ability of the recipient country to cooperate in PSI operations.
(f)(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), the President may not transfer any excess defense article that is a vessel or an aircraft to a country that has not agreed, in connection with such transfer, that it will support and assist efforts by the United States, consistent with international law, to interdict items of proliferation concern until 30 days after the date on which the President has provided notice of the proposed transfer to the committees described in subsection (c) in accordance with the procedures applicable to reprogramming notifications under section 634A(a) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2394–1(a)), in addition to any other requirement of law.
(2)The limitation in paragraph (1) shall not apply to any transfer, not involving significant military equipment, in which the primary use of the aircraft or vessel will be for counternarcotics, counterterrorism, or counter-proliferation purposes.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, referred to in subsec. (b)(2), is Pub. L. 87–195, Sept. 4, 1961, 75 Stat. 424. Chapters 4 and 5 of part II of the Act are classified generally to parts IV (§ 2346 et seq.) and V (§ 2347 et seq.), respectively, of subchapter II of chapter 32 of Title 22, Foreign Relations and Intercourse. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 2151 of Title 22 and Tables.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

50 U.S.C. § 2912

Title 50War and National Defense

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73