Report Contents
What OIG Audited
The Department of State’s (Department) Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), Office of Antiterrorism Assistance (ATA), has provided counterterrorism training to more than 165,000 law enforcement personnel from more than 150 countries from 1983 through 2024 via the Antiterrorism Assistance Program. The Department’s Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) provides funding, policy formulation, and oversight of the program, and ATA is responsible for program administration and implementation. In FY 2024, the Department allocated $159 million to carry out the Antiterrorism Assistance Program. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this audit to determine whether DS’s Antiterrorism Assistance Program achieved its stated goals and objectives in selected partner nations. Specifically, the partner nations selected for this audit were Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, and Togo.
What OIG Found
OIG was unable to determine whether ATA achieved the stated goals and objectives of its Antiterrorism Assistance Program in selected partner nations because ATA did not collect sufficient data for the indicators in the corresponding partner nation’s monitoring plan. For example, collection of certain types of data requires a monitoring visit; however, because no time requirement has been established to conduct a visit, ATA potentially may not perform a monitoring visit for up to 5 years. In addition, ATA did not always submit quarterly program and financial reports to CT in a timely manner, and some program reports did not always document progress related to specific tasks. For example, ATA failed to submit agreed upon quarterly financial reports to CT from the third quarter of FY 2023 through the fourth quarter of FY 2024.
These deficiencies occurred, in part, because ATA did not develop a sufficient methodology to collect performance related data and its monitoring and reporting guidance was insufficient. In addition, CT could improve various aspects of its program oversight. Furthermore, the Memorandum of Agreement between CT and DS did not include a mechanism to ensure that ATA met its monitoring and reporting obligations. Additionally, monitoring plans included performance indicators for which no data was collected and CT efforts to develop a quarterly financial report template that was sufficient to capture detailed financial information had not been finalized. Until these deficiencies are addressed, CT and DS cannot demonstrate that the Antiterrorism Assistance Program is helping selected partner nations build critical capabilities to defend against terrorism threats as intended.
OIG also identified Antiterrorism Assistance Program equipment acquired for Senegal that was stored up to 5 years at an ATA warehouse (valued at $285,205). Fourteen percent of this equipment (valued at $38,794) had expired, and OIG considers this a questioned cost. In addition, OIG considers the remaining equipment (valued at $246,411) funds that could be put to better use if management takes appropriate action.
What OIG Recommends
OIG made 10 recommendations to address the deficiencies identified in the Antiterrorism Assistance Program. On the basis of the Department’s responses to a draft of this report, OIG considers nine recommendations resolved, pending further action, and one recommendation unresolved. A synopsis of management’s comments to the recommendations offered and OIG’s reply follow each recommendation in the Audit Results section of this report. Responses received from DS and CT are included in their entirety in Appendices C and D.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Counterterrorism, develop and implement a methodology to collect Office of Antiterrorism Assistance performance-related data for the Antiterrorism Assistance Program in the absence of monitoring visits to partner nations.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Counterterrorism, update Office of Antiterrorism Assistance policies, procedures, and guidance to include information related to consistently collecting, documenting, and reviewing indicator data for activities in partner nations.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Counterterrorism, update Office of Antiterrorism Assistance policies, procedures, and guidance to include instructions for preparing, submitting, and reviewing quarterly program and financial reports and describe roles and responsibilities related to tracking specific tasks in the country implementation plans.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Counterterrorism develop and implement a strategy to improve its oversight of program and financial reports provided by the Office of Antiterrorism Assistance for the Antiterrorism Assistance Program.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT), in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), update the Memorandum of Agreement between CT and DS for the Antiterrorism Assistance Program to include a mechanism to ensure that the Office of Antiterrorism Assistance meets its monitoring and reporting obligations and to describe CT’s responsibilities related to quarterly program and financial reporting.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Counterterrorism, review and update Office of Antiterrorism Assistance performance monitoring plans to ensure that all performance indicators are necessary to assess program performance.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT), in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security (DS), finalize the quarterly financial reporting template for the Office of Antiterrorism Assistance in accordance with the Memorandum of Agreement between CT and DS.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Counterterrorism, review and update equipment-related policies and procedures for the Antiterrorism Assistance Program to address how to handle excess equipment, including a timeframe for reassigning or determining the disposition of excess equipment.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Counterterrorism, develop and implement a plan to use, or dispose of, as appropriate, the $246,411 in unexpired equipment acquired for the Antiterrorism Assistance Program in Senegal and stored at an Office of Antiterrorism Assistance warehouse. This amount is considered funds that could be put to better use.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, in coordination with the Bureau of Counterterrorism, dispose of the expired equipment that was acquired for the Antiterrorism Assistance Program in Senegal and stored at an Office of Antiterrorism Assistance warehouse, valued at $38,794. OIG considers this amount a questioned cost because the equipment expired, and it expired because of insufficient oversight and policy guidance.