10 U.S.C. § 341 — Department of Defense State Partnership Program

(a) Authority. (1) The Secretary of Defense, with the Secretary of State's concurrence, may set up a program of activities between a State or territory's National Guard and a foreign country's military forces, security forces, or disaster- or emergency-response organizations. (2) Each such program is called a "State Partnership." (b) Limitations. (1) An activity with a foreign country's security forces, or with its disaster- or emergency-response organizations, can only happen if the Secretary of Defense, with the Secretary of State's concurrence, decides it serves U.S. national security interests and tells the appropriate congressional committees at least 15 days before it starts. (2) Assistance activities under this program must also follow section 362 of this title, which bars help to units that committed gross human rights violations. (c) Coordination of activities. The Chief of the National Guard Bureau must name a director for each State and territory to coordinate that State's or territory's activities and report on them. (d) Regulations. The Secretary of Defense must issue regulations to carry out this section, including accounting procedures to make sure money spent is tracked and appropriate. (e) Availability of authorized funds for program. (1) Money Congress authorizes for the Department of Defense — including for the Army and Air National Guard — may be used to pay (A) the National Guard's costs in running these activities, and (B) a foreign country's incremental expenses in taking part. (2) Two limits apply: (A) a National Guard member's participation abroad can only be funded this way while the member is on active duty; and (B) total payments for foreign countries' incremental expenses can't exceed $10,000,000 in any fiscal year. (f) Rule of construction. Nothing here overrides any other authority that existed under title 10 as of December 26, 2013.