How did the United States support the Salvadoran government during the civil war?

During the Salvadoran Civil War, the United States provided significant support to the Salvadoran government as part of the Reagan Doctrine, a policy aimed at preventing the spread of communism in the region.1

Beginning with the inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1981, the U.S. involvement in El Salvador increased substantially. The support provided included:

• Financial Aid: The United States supplied approximately $4 billion in economic and military assistance throughout the 1980s.12
• Military Training and Organization: The U.S. took responsibility for organizing and training elite units of the Salvadoran army.12
• Provision of Weaponry: The U.S. supported the government’s war effort against the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) by providing sophisticated military equipment, most notably helicopters.2
• Political Guidance: The U.S. utilized its influence to help guide the political direction of the country during the conflict.2

This extensive support was intended to bolster the military-dominated government against leftist insurgents, though the conflict resulted in significant loss of life and infrastructure damage before concluding with the 1992 peace accords.12