This report provides an overview of the drug flows in the Americas and U.S. antidrug assistance programs in the region. It also raises some policy issues for Congress to consider as it exercises oversight of U.S. antidrug programs and policies in the Western Hemisphere.

On February 13, 2012, the Obama Administration submitted its FY2013 budget request, including $54.7 billion for State Department, Foreign Operations, and Related Appropriations. Of the total request, $18.6 billion is for programs funded through the State operations and related agencies (a 4.6% increase over FY2012 estimates), and $36.1 billion is for foreign operations (a 0.1% increase over FY2012 estimates). This fact sheet provides a brief overview of the request.

The Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) program, which is carried out by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Navy, gives Navy Aegis cruisers and destroyers a capability for conducting BMD operations. Under MDA and Navy plans, the number of BMD-capable Navy Aegis ships is scheduled to grow from 24 at the end of FY2011 to 36 at the end of FY2018. Issues for Congress for FY2013 include the reduction under the proposed FY2013 budget in the ramp-up rate for numbers of BMD-capable Aegis ships over the next few years; the U.S. economic impact of shifting four Aegis ships to Rota, Spain; U.S. vs. European naval contributions to European BMD; the lack of a target for simulating the endo-atmospheric (i.e., final) phase of flight of China's DF-21 anti-ship ballistic missile; the capability of the SM-3 Block IIB Aegis BMD interceptor; and technical risk in the Aegis program.