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Arms Control and International Security: Excess Defense Articles from Afghanistan

Military equipment that has been determined to be excess can be made available through the worldwide excess defense articles (EDA) program, which is open to all eligible countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan. A number of countries including Pakistan routinely request EDA through our worldwide EDA program.

The United States is currently reviewing Pakistan’s request for EDA sourced from the worldwide available EDA pool. For details regarding the specifics of Pakistan’s request, we would direct you to the Government of Pakistan.

To be clear, the United States has not refused Pakistan’s request regarding EDA sourced from the worldwide pool (to include any request that might involve MRAPs). The United States continues to assist Pakistan through many security cooperation programs to build partnership capacity, including through the provision of worldwide available EDA.

We note we have not and do not intend to transfer EDA from Afghanistan to any of its neighboring countries, including Pakistan.

EDA may come from many places around the world where the designated Department of Defense implementing agency has excess equipment. Much of this equipment is currently at depots in the continental United States. All EDA is provided as is, where is – meaning recipient countries are responsible for the transportation and any needed refurbishment costs for all EDA transfers.

U.S. military equipment leaving overland from Afghanistan through Pakistan or via the Northern Distribution Network is part of the overall process of removing equipment as our forces draw down in Afghanistan. We have not and do not intend to transfer this equipment to the governments neighboring Afghanistan.

Our decisions on worldwide EDA transfers involve a thorough and deliberate review that considers the needs of potential recipients, our mutual national security needs, the ability of the recipient to sustain the equipment, and other factors.

The State Department works with the Department of Defense to identify recipients for excess defense articles. The State Department retains final statutory approval. The State Department reviews each EDA request carefully.