Background checks – why vetting foreign military students is vital
A recently released official report has spotlighted the issue of vetting, or checking backgrounds, of international military students training in the US.
The February 2024 report, released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), calls for an overall assessment of vetting implementation and a strengthening of related information-sharing between the DoD and Department of State... Continues below
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Above: Undergraduate flight training is one of many activities overseas military students visit US DoD facilities for. (Photo: USAF)
In emphasising the need for effective vetting, the report references an incident on 6 December 2019, when an international military student killed three US service members and injured eight others while attending training at NAS Pensacola, Florida, stating that the attack ‘raised questions about personnel safety at Department of Defense sites hosting students for training’.
Subsequent to those fatalities, the vetting of international students came under the microscope, with the GAO report reflecting one key perspective.
During the period from 1 October 2019 to 31 March 2023, a total of nearly 38,000 international military students representing 177 countries participated in training courses hosted on DoD sites in the US.
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Eight countries had over 1,000 students taking part, including Canada, Colombia, Italy Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the UAE and the UK.
According to the report, during that same period, the DoD developed and phased in procedures to vet foreign students attending training at its installations and facilities in the US, with a few exceptions.
‘DoD vets these students prior to travel to the US for training and periodically during the students' stay,’ it stated. ‘According to training management system data, from October 1, 2019, through March 31, 2023, DoD vetted over 29,000 cases, including students and any accompanying family members.’
As a result of this process, the report notes that the DoD identified findings of concern in 103 cases. Four were classified as ‘high’ risk, 18 were ‘moderate’, and 81 were ‘low’. Additionally, the DoD denied access to nine students for ‘various security-related reasons’.
Following an adjudication process, the DoD denied unescorted physical access to its sites for all four high-risk cases, while approving that access for seven of the 18 moderate cases and 47 of the 81 low-risk cases. Twenty-two moderate and low-risk cases were not adjudicated for various reasons.
Based on its review and analysis of vetting documentation, the GAO made four recommendations for the process, including for the DoD to assess vetting implementation and take action to mitigate any factors affecting it as identified in its assessment, and for DoD and State to clarify roles and responsibilities for sharing information.
Three recommendations were directed towards the DoD while one was directed toward the Department of State. The report authors noted that both departments ‘generally concurred with the recommendations’.
Safety considerations must always be paramount when planning and conducting any military training activity, and this should extend to identifying and excluding any individuals who could pose a threat to their instructors and fellow trainees.
Other articles in this newsletter:
Don’t forget the training requirement – new grenade programme highlights device demand
Marines in the Philippines – putting bilateral exercises in the spotlight
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