This bill, titled the United States Security Assistance Effectiveness Act, aims to reform the Department of State's approach to security assistance. It expands the duties of the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security to include strategic policy guidance, budget integration, and interagency coordination for security assistance. The bill also mandates the designation or establishment of an Office of Security Assistance within the Under Secretary's purview, led by a Coordinator for Security Assistance, to guide and support security assistance efforts.

Further organizational reforms include requiring each relevant Department bureau to designate an officer for security assistance coordination, excluding those involved in human rights vetting. Similarly, chiefs of mission at U.S. diplomatic posts in recipient countries must designate a senior diplomatic officer to oversee and coordinate security assistance, including ensuring compliance with end-use monitoring and human rights provisions. The Secretary of State must submit a plan for implementing these coordination efforts within 180 days.

To enhance workforce capabilities, the bill requires the Secretary to establish specialized training curriculum at the Department's Foreign Service Institute within 180 days. This training will cover a broad range of topics, including awareness of relevant agencies and authorities, military and police security force systems, human rights implementation, end-use monitoring, and common risks to effectiveness like corruption and absorptive capacity.

The legislation also addresses interagency coordination by requiring the Comptroller General to report on the effectiveness of existing coordination mechanisms between the Departments of State and Defense for security assistance and cooperation programs. Additionally, it mandates the establishment of a joint process between the Secretaries of State and Defense to specify the Department of State's involvement in planning projects under Section 333 of title 10, United States Code.

A key provision is the establishment of a common database for all security assistance and security cooperation programs, activities, funding, and transfers by recipient country, to be maintained by the Secretary of State in coordination with the Secretary of Defense and other agencies. A plan for this database, due within one year, must detail standardized methods for capturing country-level data since fiscal year 2017, including authorities, costs, recipients, purpose, and assessments of recipient capabilities and political will.

The bill also mandates the development of an assessment, monitoring, and evaluation program for countries receiving significant security assistance, to be led by the Coordinator. This program must include baseline assessments of security sector governance, corruption levels, civilian oversight, human rights records, and the recipient's commitment and absorptive capacity. It will also identify desired outcomes, monitor progress, and identify lessons learned to improve future assistance.

Finally, the Coordinator must create a security assistance framework to guide regional and country-specific planning, incorporating criteria for identifying opportunities and risks, integrating the assessment program, and establishing metrics for effectiveness. This framework will inform an annual prioritization of recipient countries and ensure security assistance planning is integrated into comprehensive regional and country strategies, with annual reports to Congress detailing these plans and evaluation results.