Security assistance – a broad category that covers about $25 billion in yearly spending – skyrocketed in the wake of 9/11, growing by 227 percent from 2002 to 2012. A slew of recent reports from government watchdog agencies have found a glaring lack of accountability around security assistance. In 2012, Congress drafted a bill that would have subjected all foreign aid, including security assistance, to stricter monitoring and transparency requirements. The Pentagon successfully opposed the effort for security aid. The bill never made it to a vote.
