Title 22Foreign Relations and IntercourseRelease 119-73not60

§2421f Sustainability Requirements for Certain Capital Projects in Connection with Overseas Contingency Operations

Title 22 › Chapter 32— FOREIGN ASSISTANCE › Subchapter III— GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS › Part III— Miscellaneous Provisions › § 2421f

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Starting 60 days after January 2, 2013, the Defense Department, the State Department, and USAID must not spend money on certain overseas building projects for other countries unless they first finish a written check of whether the project is needed and can be kept up. The Defense Secretary must consult the U.S. military commander in the country, the Secretary of State must consult the Chief of Mission, and the USAID Administrator must consult the Mission Director and Chief of Mission. The check must estimate the total U.S. cost, the yearly cost for the host country to keep the project running, whether the host country has the money and staff to maintain it, what will be done if the host can’t sustain it, whether the host asked for the project, and, for Defense projects, the project’s effect on the U.S. military mission. The rule covers projects above set dollar levels: over $10,000,000 when they directly build local security forces’ capacity, over $5,000,000 for State or USAID projects not covered above, and over $2,000,000 for other projects. Military construction and military family housing projects are excluded. A Secretary or the USAID Administrator can waive the rule for national security, diplomatic, or humanitarian reasons, but must give a full justification in the next report and supply the assessment within 90 days. Agencies must report every half-year, within 30 days after the half-year ends, listing each assessment and describing project goals, how success is checked, local involvement, and corruption or fraud risks. Reports must be unclassified but may have a classified annex. Definitions: “Appropriate committees of Congress” means the Senate committees on Armed Services; Foreign Relations; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Appropriations, and the House committees on Armed Services; Foreign Affairs; Oversight and Government Reform; and Appropriations. “Capital project” has the meaning given in section 2421e. “Overseas contingency operation” means a military operation outside the United States that qualifies as a contingency operation under 10 U.S.C. 101(a)(13).

Full Legal Text

Title 22, §2421f

Foreign Relations and Intercourse — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)(1)Commencing 60 days after January 2, 2013—
(A)amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Defense may not be obligated or expended for a capital project described in subsection (b) unless the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the United States commander of military operations in the country in which the project will be carried out, completes an assessment on the necessity and sustainability of the project;
(B)amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Department of State may not be obligated or expended for a capital project described in subsection (b) unless the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Chief of Mission in the country in which the project will be carried out, completes an assessment on the necessity and sustainability of the project; and
(C)amounts authorized to be appropriated for the United States Agency for International Development may not be obligated or expended for a capital project described in subsection (b) unless the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, in consultation with the Mission Director and the Chief of Mission in the country in which the project will be carried out, completes an assessment on the necessity and sustainability of the project.
(2)Each assessment on a capital project under this subsection shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(A)An estimate of the total cost of the completed project to the United States.
(B)An estimate of the financial and other requirements necessary for the host government to sustain the project on an annual basis after completion of the project.
(C)An assessment whether the host government has the capacity (in both financial and human resources) to maintain and use the project after completion.
(D)A description of any arrangements for the sustainment of the project following its completion if the host government lacks the capacity (in financial or human resources) to maintain the project.
(E)An assessment whether the host government has requested or expressed its need for the project, and an explanation of the decision to proceed with the project absent such request or need.
(F)An assessment by the Secretary of Defense, where applicable, of the effect of the project on the military mission of the United States in the country concerned.
(b)(1)Except as provided in paragraph (2), a capital project described in this subsection is any capital project overseas for an overseas contingency operation for the benefit of a host country and funded by the Department of Defense, the Department of State, or the United States Agency for International Development, as applicable, if the capital project—
(A)in the case of a project that directly supports building the capacity of indigenous security forces in the host country, has an estimated value in excess of $10,000,000;
(B)in the case of any project not covered by subparagraph (A) that is to be funded by the Department of State or the United States Agency for International Development, has an estimated value in excess of $5,000,000; or
(C)in the case of any other project, has an estimated value in excess of $2,000,000.
(2)A capital project described in this subsection does not include any project for military construction (as that term is defined in section 114(b) of title 10) or a military family housing project under section 2821 of such title.
(c)The Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, or the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, as applicable, may waive the limitation in subsection (a) in order to initiate a capital project if such Secretary or the Administrator, as the case may be, determines that the project is in the national security, diplomatic, or humanitarian interests of the United States. In the first report submitted under subsection (d) after any waiver under this subsection, such Secretary or the Administrator shall include a detailed justification of such waiver. Not later than 90 days after issuing a waiver under this subsection, such Secretary or the Administrator shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress the assessment described in subsection (a) with respect to the capital project concerned.
(d)(1)Not later than 30 days after the end of any fiscal-year half-year in which the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, or the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development conducts an assessment under subsection (a), such Secretary or the Administrator, as the case may be, shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report setting forth each assessment so conducted during such fiscal-year half-year, including the elements of each capital project so assessed specified in subsection (a)(2).
(2)In addition to the matters provided for in paragraph (1), each report under that paragraph shall include the following:
(A)For each capital project covered by such report, an evaluation (other than by amount of funds expended) of the effectiveness of such project, including, at a minimum, the following:
(i)The stated goals of the project.
(ii)The actions taken to assess and verify whether the project has met the stated goals of the project or is on track to meet such goals when completed.
(iii)The current and anticipated levels of involvement of local governments, communities, and individuals in the project.
(B)For each country or region in which a capital project covered by such report is being carried out, an assessment of the current and anticipated risks of corruption or fraud in connection with such project.
(3)Each report shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex.
(e)In this section:
(1)The term “appropriate committees of Congress” means—
(A)the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Relations, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and
(B)the Committee on Armed Services, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives.
(2)The term “capital project” has the meaning given that term in section 2421e of this title.
(3)The term “overseas contingency operation” means a military operation outside the United States and its territories and possessions that is a contingency operation (as that term is defined in section 101(a)(13) of title 10).

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013, and not as part of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Oversight and Government Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 6, One Hundred Sixteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2019. Committee on Oversight and Reform of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Oversight and Accountability of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

22 U.S.C. § 2421f

Title 22Foreign Relations and Intercourse

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60