Report Contents
What OIG Inspected
OIG inspected the executive direction, policy and program implementation, resource management, and information management operations of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 6 recommendations: 5 to the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and 1 to the Bureau of Information Resource Management.
In its comments on the draft report, the Department concurred with 5 recommendations and neither agreed nor disagreed with 1 recommendation. OIG considers 5 recommendations resolved and 1 recommendation unresolved. The Department’s response to each recommendation, and OIG’s reply, can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The Department’s formal written responses are reprinted in their entirety in Appendix B.
What OIG Found
- The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs successfully supported Department of State policies and its overseas missions. • While recognizing that the acting Assistant Secretary had a demanding travel and meeting schedule, bureau staff sought more opportunities to hear from him as the head of the bureau.
- Organizational structure and chronic understaffing impeded the mission of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues.
- The bureau did not review $3.3 million in unliquidated obligations with no activity in over 1 year in a timely manner.
- An outdated service level agreement between the Bureau of Information Resource Management and the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs Information Technology helpdesk adversely affected customer service.
- The bureau’s information management group lacked sufficient documentation for its application development activities.
- The Office of Public Diplomacy created templates for overseas posts to use in drafting and reporting their digital media strategies to better integrate digital media into their programming and provide for a higher level of coordination on policy messaging and countering disinformation.
- Spotlight on Success: The Office of Western European Affairs initiated an orientation program for new desk officers on topics such as bureau culture, the briefing paper process, working with the National Security Council, and handling highlevel meetings.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs should staff the Office of the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues in accordance with Department guidelines.
The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs should comply with Department guidelines for the minimum staffing and structure of offices.
The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs should review and de-obligate any of the unliquidated obligations totaling $3.3 million without activity for over 1 year and put de-obligated funds to better use.
The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, in coordination with the Bureau of Administration, should evaluate the administrative professional services contract in accordance with Office of Acquisitions Management direction and Department standards.
The Bureau of Information Resource Management, in coordination with the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, should update the master service level agreement governing roles and responsibilities related to information technology services.
The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs should complete and maintain organized records of required documentation for its information systems.