Assessing security cooperation programs helps ensure U.S. support leads to real results and more stable partners.
Security Cooperation is Diplomacy with Backbone
It strengthens our allies, deters adversaries, and builds critical relationships that advance shared security goals. But how do we know if it’s working?
That’s where assessment, monitoring, and evaluation (AM&E) come in. To deliver real results, the U.S. government must ensure that security cooperation efforts are grounded in evidence — not assumptions.
Sri Lanka Navy Marines meet and shake hands with U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) while on a regularly scheduled deployment of the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and 13th MEU, August 25, 2018. Security cooperation involves working with partners nations to enhance national security, regional stability, economic growth, counterterrorism efforts, and capacity building. Photo by Cpl. Austin Mealy.
Making Partnerships Stronger, Not Just Visible
Security cooperation spans a wide range of activities: training foreign forces, supplying equipment, improving logistics, and supporting ministries that respond to emergencies or fight organized crime. These efforts not only help partner nations defend themselves, but also give the U.S. greater access and influence during times of peace and crisis.
When paired with diplomacy and development, security cooperation can reduce conflict, promote stability, and strengthen trust. It builds the kind of long-term relationships that make joint responses to global threats more effective.
Measurement is Not Optional
Just like any foreign assistance program, security cooperation must be evaluated. Without clear objectives and honest assessment, even well-funded programs can fall short.
That’s why the U.S. Government has prioritized rigorous AM&E to measure the effectiveness of training, exercises, and other support. These evaluations help refine strategies, fix problems early, and ensure taxpayer investments yield tangible outcomes.
Measuring What Matters Most
At Dexis, we support U.S. federal agencies in assessing whether security cooperation efforts are achieving their intended impact. We analyze whether initiatives actually improve partner capabilities and lead to more resilient security institutions.
Because the nature of these programs varies widely — across geographies, threats, and partners — effective evaluation must go beyond checklists. It requires understanding local dynamics, tracking long-term change, and staying flexible in volatile environments.
What Success Can Look Like
Consider Colombia: decades of sustained U.S. support helped the country transition from a fragile state to a strong security and trade partner. But not every investment delivers such returns.
Strong security cooperation is never accidental. It requires strategic planning, careful execution, and independent evaluation. Without these elements, results can be slow, superficial, or unsustainable.
Better Data, Better Decisions
Security cooperation isn’t just about what the U.S. gives — it’s about what partners gain. And those gains must be measured.
By helping federal agencies evaluate the impact of their security cooperation programs, Dexis ensures they’re not just doing something, but doing the right thing.