U.S. redirects $52 million in military aid from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Latin America
State Department notifies Congress it will move $52 million in FMF to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia while keeping some funding for the original recipients.
The United States is redirecting $52 million in foreign military financing (FMF) that had been earmarked for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to four countries in Central and South America: Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, the State Department told Congress.
The reallocation does not eliminate FMF programs for Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia or Iraq entirely, but the department did not specify how much funding will remain available to each of those recipients.
The State Department said the current distribution of funding “is not in line with the administration's priorities.”
Senator Marco Rubio visited Colombia, Ecuador and Peru last week and pledged additional support as the administration places a higher priority on the Western Hemisphere, with an emphasis on combating drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
Part of a wider shift in U.S. posture
Officials framed the move as part of a broader reorientation of military and security resources away from parts of Europe and the Middle East. The shift comes after a series of policy decisions reducing funds or troop presences in Europe, and after President Donald Trump repeatedly criticized NATO allies for not spending enough on defense. Both North Macedonia and Slovakia are NATO members.
The State Department said the reallocated funds will be used “to fight narco-terrorism in our immediate neighborhood and to help maintain the security of the Panama Canal,” and added that the Western Hemisphere had been historically neglected in U.S. military assistance. The department also said, “These funds will prevent adversaries from establishing strategic footholds in our hemisphere.”
Photo: press material from the event
