State Department redirects $52M in military aid from Europe/Mideast to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia

The State Department notified Congress on 15 September 2026 that it would reprogram $52 million in Foreign Military Financing away from Slovakia, North Macedonia, Tunisia and Iraq to Panama, Peru, Ecuador and Colombia, formalizing the Western Hemisphere prioritization Secretary of State Marco Rubio previewed during his 8-10 September Colombia-Ecuador-Peru tour. A State Department spokesperson said the funds would 'combat narcoterrorism in our backyard and help continue to secure the Panama Canal' and would 'prevent adversaries from establishing strategic footholds in our hemisphere' — a reference to Chinese influence — adding that the Western Hemisphere had been 'historically neglected' in US military assistance. As a reprogramming rather than a new appropriation, the $52M total is fixed and subject only to the standard congressional notification period, not a fresh vote.