"In order to effectively implement certain obligations under United States law, the United States must maintain an appropriate understanding of foreign partners’ adherence to international law, including, as applicable, international human rights law and international humanitarian law," Biden said in the memorandum published late on Thursday.
The memorandum requires the Secretary of State to obtain "credible and reliable written assurances" from a foreign country receiving US military aid that it will use it "in accordance with international humanitarian law and, as applicable, other international law."
In addition, the recipient country should provide written assurances that it will "facilitate and not arbitrarily deny, restrict, or otherwise impede, directly or indirectly," the delivery of US humanitarian assistance and US-supported international efforts to provide humanitarian assistance.
The memorandum also requires the Secretaries of State and Defense to provide periodic congressional reports to enable oversight.
If the credibility or reliability of assurances given by the recipient country has been called into question, the secretary of state or the secretary of defense shall report to the president within 45 days of such assessment and outline appropriate next steps to be taken to assess and remediate the situation.
Such remediation could include actions from refreshing the assurances to suspending any further transfers of defense articles or defense services, according to the memorandum.