The Upholding Human Rights Abroad Act of 2024 requires the Department of Defense to carefully evaluate the human rights records of foreign military forces, irregular forces, and groups before providing them with U.S. military support and training. The bill prohibits funding from going to any individual or unit that the Secretary of Defense has credible information has committed gross human rights violations, though the secretary can waive this prohibition in extraordinary circumstances or if a foreign government has taken corrective steps. The legislation applies to special operations support programs used to combat terrorism and conduct irregular warfare, and it requires the State Department and Defense Department to work together to vet recipients, provide human rights training, investigate allegations of abuse, and assess how the support advances U.S. national security interests. The bill affects U.S. military relationships with foreign partners worldwide and aims to ensure American military assistance does not inadvertently support forces with serious human rights abuses. No new funding is created by this bill; rather, it imposes conditions on how existing military assistance funds can be spent.
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