Report Contents
What OIG Evaluated
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted this evaluation in response to an OIG hotline complaint. The complaint alleged that the Department was providing Explosive Detection Canines (EDCs) to foreign partner nations without the proper follow-up to ensure they were receiving adequate healthcare. These allegations also included reports that dogs were dying due to various medical conditions, lack of veterinary care, and poor working conditions. As a result, OIG initiated this evaluation to determine whether the Department effectively managed the health and welfare of dogs in the Explosive Detection Canine Program (EDCP).
What OIG Recommends
OIG made five recommendations to the Department: to develop and implement a strategic plan that addresses the health and welfare of canines in the Kingdom of Jordan; conduct followup health and welfare checks more frequently; develop and implement a plan to address canine retirement and adoption; develop and negotiate written agreements related to the canine program with partner nations; and develop and implement policies and procedures for all aspects of the canine program, including health and welfare. As part of the first recommendation, OIG also recommends that the Department cease providing canines to Jordan until there is a sustainability plan in place to ensure canine health and welfare. The Department concurred with four recommendations in their entirety and partially concurred with another. It did not agree with the portion of the recommendation that advised ceasing to provide dogs to Jordan until a sustainability plan is in place.
What OIG Found
Pursuant to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, the Department’s antiterrorism assistance program provides EDCs to foreign countries to enhance the ability of their law enforcement to deter and counter terrorism. The Bureau of Diplomatic Security's Office of Antiterrorism Assistance (DS/ATA) is the primary implementer of foreign assistance training and partners with the Bureau of Counterterrorism to manage the program. Although the Department previously relied on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms to provide both dogs and training, the Department recently established its own canine training program at the Canine Validation Center (CVC). As of September 30, 2018, 100 active EDCs trained at CVC had been provided under the antiterrorism program to 6 partner nations; in addition, approximately 70 dogs from the ATF program remained active in 7 nations.
OIG identified a range of problems in the EDCP. First, OIG found an overall lack of policies and standards governing the program. The Department routinely provides dogs to foreign partners without signed written agreements that outline standards for minimum care, retirement, and use of the canines, and the Department conducts health and welfare follow-ups infrequently and inconsistently. Second, OIG confirmed ongoing concerns regarding the program in Jordan, where health and welfare problems have persisted for years. Nonetheless, the Department provided EDCs to this nation before those concerns were resolved. Additionally, the Department did not adequately plan to ensure that Jordan’s canine program could become self-sustaining or that funding will be consistently available to protect the dogs already provided. Finally, the Department could not provide detailed information about dogs in programs other than Jordan.
Report Terms
Report Recommendations
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Counterterrorism, in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, develop a written strategic plan that addresses canine health and welfare concerns in Jordan, specifically planning for future funding needs in order to maintain the program, along with steps to aid the Jordanians in becoming self-sustaining. OIG further recommends that the Bureau of Counterterrorism and the Bureau of Diplomatic Security cease providing additional canines to Jordan until there is a sufficient sustainability plan in place to ensure their health and welfare.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security develop and implement written policies and procedures related to the health and welfare of all canines provided under the Department’s foreign assistance program, which should include policies to address the criteria used to evaluate a foreign partner’s ability to care for canines, health and welfare follow-up timelines based on the initial evaluation, and care for a canine with medical needs after deployment.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security develop and implement a written plan to address canine retirement and adoption in all countries.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Counterterrorism, in coordination with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, develop and negotiate written agreements related to the canine program with partner nations that ensure there is a mutual understanding regarding the health, welfare, and retirement of the provided canines.
OIG recommends that the Bureau of Diplomatic Security prepare and implement a written timeline for conducting follow-up health and welfare checks on a regular basis to ensure provided canines are receiving the proper care, which should include documenting the status and condition of each canine provided under the program.