Military Operations
DOD Needs to Provide Central Direction for Supporting Coalition Liaison Officers Gao ID: GAO-04-452 April 9, 2004In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, Congress authorized the Secretary of Defense to provide administrative services and support to foreign coalition liaison officers temporarily assigned to the headquarters of a combatant command or any of its subordinate commands. Congress required GAO to assess the implementation of this legislation. Specifically, GAO's objectives were to determine (1) what guidance the Department of Defense (DOD) has provided on the implementation of this legislation, (2) the extent to which the commands are aware of and are using this legislation, and (3) the level of support being provided by commands using this legislation and the benefits derived from it.
GAO could find no evidence that DOD had issued any guidance to combatant commanders on how to implement this legislation. In addition, GAO was unable to identify an office within DOD that has responsibility for implementing this legislation. The DOD Office of the Inspector General, as GAO's focal point within DOD, was also unable to identify a responsible office. Although the legislation was inspired by the needs of the coalition assembled for the Global War on Terrorism, its authority is available through the Secretary of Defense to all combatant commanders. According to the results of GAO's research, the combatant commands' awareness of and need to use the legislation varied widely with Central Command being the only command using the authority to support liaison officers. Central Command, spent $17 million in fiscal year 2003 to provide administrative services and support to more than 300 coalition liaison officers from over 60 countries. As allowed by the legislation, the command also paid the travel, subsistence, and personal expenses of over 70 of these officers from more than 30 developing countries. Central Command officials stated that they could not accomplish the coalition integration planning and coordination important to the Global War on Terrorism as effectively or efficiently as they are doing without the liaison officers. They also commented that the legislation helps facilitate the participation of a developing country in the coalition if the command can pay for travel and subsistence.
RecommendationsOur recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.
Director: Team: Phone:GAO-04-452, Military Operations: DOD Needs to Provide Central Direction for Supporting Coalition Liaison Officers
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Report to Congressional Committees:
United States General Accounting Office:
GAO:
April 2004:
Military Operations:
DOD Needs to Provide Central Direction for Supporting Coalition Liaison
Officers:
GAO-04-452:
GAO Highlights:
Highlights of GAO-04-452, a report to the Chairmen and Ranking Minority
Members of the Senate and House Committees on Armed Services
Why GAO Did This Study:
In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003,
Congress authorized the Secretary of Defense to provide administrative
services and support to foreign coalition liaison officers temporarily
assigned to the headquarters of a combatant command or any of its
subordinate commands. Congress required GAO to assess the
implementation of this legislation. Specifically, GAO‘s objectives were
to determine (1) what guidance the Department of Defense (DOD) has
provided on the implementation of this legislation, (2) the extent to
which the commands are aware of and are using this legislation, and (3)
the level of support being provided by commands using this legislation
and the benefits derived from it.
What GAO Found:
GAO could find no evidence that DOD had issued any guidance to
combatant commanders on how to implement this legislation. In addition,
GAO was unable to identify an office within DOD that has responsibility
for implementing this legislation. The DOD Office of the Inspector
General, as GAO‘s focal point within DOD, was also unable to identify a
responsible office.
Although the legislation was inspired by the needs of the coalition
assembled for the Global War on Terrorism, its authority is available
through the Secretary of Defense to all combatant commanders. According
to the results of GAO‘s research, the combatant commands‘ awareness of
and need to use the legislation varied widely with Central Command
being the only command using the authority to support liaison
officers.
Central Command and MacDill Air Force Base, as the host location for
Central Command, spent $17 million in fiscal year 2003 to provide
administrative services and support to more than 300 coalition liaison
officers from over 60 countries. As allowed by the legislation, the
command also paid the travel, subsistence, and personal expenses of
over 70 of these officers from more than 30 developing countries.
Central Command officials stated that they could not accomplish the
coalition integration planning and coordination important to the Global
War on Terrorism as effectively or efficiently as they are doing
without the liaison officers. They also commented that the legislation
helps facilitate the participation of a developing country in the
coalition if the command can pay for travel and subsistence.
What GAO Recommends:
GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense take the following two
actions:
(1) designate an office within DOD to take responsibility for this
legislation and (2) direct this designated office to promulgate and
issue guidance on how to implement this legislation.
DOD officials concurred with the report in official oral comments. DOD
stated that it would designate the Joint Staff as the office
responsible for implementing the legislation and issuing appropriate
guidance.
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-452.
To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on
the link above. For more information, contact Neal P. Curtin at (757)
552-8100 or curtinn@gao.gov.
[End of section]
Contents:
Letter:
Results in Brief:
Background:
DOD Has Not Issued Guidance to Implement This Legislation:
Awareness and Use of the Legislation by Combatant Commands Vary Widely:
CENTCOM Support to Liaison Officers Benefits Global War on Terrorism:
Conclusions:
Recommendations for Executive Action:
Agency Comments:
Table:
Table 1: Fiscal Year 2002 and Fiscal Year 2003 Costs by Type of Support
Provided to Coalition Liaison Officers:
Abbreviations:
CENTCOM: U.S. Central Command:
DOD: Department of Defense:
United States General Accounting Office:
Washington, DC 20548:
April 9, 2004:
The Honorable John W. Warner:
Chairman:
The Honorable Carl Levin:
Ranking Minority Member:
Committee on Armed Services:
United States Senate:
The Honorable Duncan Hunter:
Chairman:
The Honorable Ike Skelton:
Ranking Minority Member:
Committee on Armed Services:
House of Representatives:
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has been
fighting a Global War on Terrorism with support from other countries,
such as Great Britain. The coalition partner countries participating
with the United States in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have sent
more than 300 foreign military personnel to the U.S. Central Command
headquarters to serve as liaison officers supporting U.S. planning and
operation efforts.
In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2003,[Footnote 1] Congress authorized the Secretary of Defense to
provide administrative services and support to foreign coalition
liaison officers temporarily assigned to the headquarters of a
combatant command, a component command, or a subordinate operational
command.[Footnote 2] Congress also allowed the Secretary to pay for
travel, subsistence, and personal expenses of those coalition liaison
officers from developing countries.[Footnote 3] These services,
support, and expenses may be provided with or without reimbursement
from or on behalf of the receiving coalition liaison officers. Congress
required us to assess the implementation of this legislation.
Specifically, our objectives were to determine (1) what guidance, if
any, the Department of Defense (DOD) has provided on the implementation
of this legislation, (2) the extent to which the commands are aware of
and are using this legislation, and (3) the level of support being
provided by commands using this legislation and the benefits derived
from it.
To address these objectives, we used a data collection instrument to
gather information from officials serving in the headquarters of
combatant commands, component commands, and subordinate operational
commands. This instrument was designed to measure the awareness of the
legislation among these various commands, to identify the commands
using the legislation, and to obtain the costs incurred to provide
support to foreign coalition liaison officers. To assess how the
commands are implementing this legislation, we visited U.S. Central
Command headquarters and met with officials who have responsibility for
tracking costs incurred by foreign coalition liaison officers. As
agreed with your offices, we did not independently validate the costs
incurred by the command. We conducted our review from September 2003
through January 2004 in accordance with generally accepted government
auditing standards.
Results in Brief:
We could find no evidence that DOD has issued any guidance to combatant
commanders on how to implement this legislation. In addition, we were
unable to identify an office within DOD that has responsibility for
implementing this legislation. The DOD Office of the Inspector General,
as our focal point within the department, was also unable to identify a
responsible office.
Although the legislation was inspired by the needs of the coalition
assembled for the Global War on Terrorism, its authority is available
through the Secretary of Defense to all combatant commanders. However,
not all combatant commands were aware of or have a need to use this
legislation. Five of the nine combatant commands were not aware of, nor
did they have a need to use, the authority in the legislation; three
were aware of, but had no need to use, the authority; and one, along
with one of its subordinate commands, was using it to support coalition
liaison officers. In response to a data collection instrument we
created and distributed to the combatant commands, representatives from
Northern, Southern, European, Transportation, and Strategic Commands
stated they were not aware of the legislation. Representatives from
Pacific, Central, Joint Forces, and Special Operations Commands stated
they were aware of the legislation. Central Command and one of its
subordinate commands were the only commands providing support to
coalition liaison officers.
Central Command, with some of its component and subordinate commands,
and MacDill Air Force Base, as the host location for Central Command,
provided administrative services and support to more than 300 coalition
liaison officers from over 60 countries at a cost of about $14.5
million in fiscal year 2003. The command also paid travel, subsistence,
and personal expenses of over 70 of these officers from more than 30
developing countries at a cost of about $2.6 million in fiscal year
2003. The command has established internal operating procedures to
define what support it will provide and what guidelines, including the
use of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations, to use in setting
appropriate spending limits. The command provides office space,
furniture, equipment, phones, and other administrative support for all
coalition liaison officers, as well as pays for travel, subsistence,
and personal expenses for officers from developing countries. Command
officials stated that they could not accomplish the coalition
integration planning and coordination important to the Global War on
Terrorism as effectively or efficiently as they are doing without the
liaison officers. They also commented that the legislation helps
facilitate the participation of a developing country in the coalition
if the command can pay for travel and subsistence.
We are recommending that the Secretary of Defense take two actions: (1)
designate an office within the Department of Defense to take
responsibility for the legislation and (2) direct this designated
office to promulgate and issue guidance to implement the legislation.
In official oral comments on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with
the report. DOD stated that it would designate the Joint Staff as the
office responsible for implementing the legislation and issuing
appropriate guidance.
Background:
The United States prefers to conduct operations as part of a coalition
when possible.[Footnote 4] In prosecuting the Global War on Terrorism,
the United States, through the U. S. Central Command (CENTCOM), has
acted in concert with a number of other countries as part of a
coalition to conduct Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and
Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.[Footnote 5] Most of these countries
have sent officers to CENTCOM headquarters--located at MacDill Air
Force Base in Tampa, Florida--to act as liaisons between their
countries and CENTCOM commanders and assist in planning and other
operational tasks.
As coalition liaison officers began arriving to assist in Operation
Enduring Freedom, CENTCOM officials established a secure area with
trailers outfitted as offices for the officers to use. As the coalition
expanded and Operation Iraqi Freedom started, the number of liaison
officers grew, as did the need for more trailers and administrative
support. CENTCOM officials initially paid for the support from
Combatant Commander's Initiative Funds[Footnote 6] earmarked for short-
term initiatives identified by the commander. However, as the
coalitions for both operations grew and were expected to continue into
fiscal year 2003, CENTCOM requested that Congress allow the command to
use funds from its budget to pay for the support provided to the
liaison officers. Congress responded in the fiscal year 2003 National
Defense Authorization Act by authorizing the Secretary of Defense to
provide administrative services and support to those liaison officers
of countries involved in a coalition with the United States and to pay
the travel, subsistence, and personal expenses of those liaison
officers from developing countries. This legislation expires September
30, 2005. The legislation does not direct us to assess whether it
should be renewed and we did not do so.
DOD Has Not Issued Guidance to Implement This Legislation:
Although it is the responsibility of the Secretary of Defense to
formulate general defense policy and policy related to all matters of
direct and primary concern to DOD, we could find no evidence of
guidance issued by DOD to combatant commanders on how to implement the
legislation allowing DOD to provide support to coalition liaison
officers. Also, we could not identify any office within DOD that has
responsibility for implementing the legislation and, therefore, may
have promulgated guidance on the legislation. Guidance for issues that
affect all the components originates at the DOD level. Typically, DOD
will issue a directive--a broad policy document containing what is
required to initiate, govern, or regulate actions or conduct by DOD
components. This directive establishes a baseline policy that applies
across the combatant commands, services, and DOD agencies. DOD may also
issue an instruction, which implements the policy or prescribes the
manner or a specific plan or action for carrying out the policy,
operating a program or activity, and assigning responsibilities. In our
opinion, this guidance is important for consistent implementation of a
program across DOD.
To determine what guidance has been provided to the commands, we
contacted offices within DOD, the Office of the Secretary of Defense,
and the Joint Staff to determine which office has responsibility for
implementing this legislation. After calls to the Offices of
Legislative Affairs and Comptroller within the Office of the Secretary
of Defense, as well as the Joint Staff's Plans and Policy Directorate
and Comptroller, neither we nor the DOD Inspector General, our focal
point within DOD, were able to locate any office having this
responsibility.
In the data collection instrument we sent to the combatant commands, we
asked whether the commands had received any guidance on how to
implement the legislation. All commands replied that they had received
no guidance from any office within DOD.
Awareness and Use of the Legislation by Combatant Commands Vary Widely:
Although the legislation was inspired by the needs of the coalition
assembled for the Global War on Terrorism, its authority is available
through the Secretary of Defense to all combatant commanders. However,
according to the results of our research, the awareness of and need to
use the legislation by combatant commands vary widely. To determine the
extent to which the combatant commands are aware of and using this
legislation, we created a data collection instrument and e-mailed it to
representatives at each combatant command. In responding to this
instrument, representatives from Northern Command, Southern Command,
European Command, Transportation Command, and Strategic Command stated
that they were not aware of nor did they have a need to use the
legislation, while representatives of Joint Forces Command, Special
Operations Command, and Pacific Command were aware of, but had no need
to use, the legislation. CENTCOM and one of its subordinate commands
were the only commands both aware of and using the legislation.
CENTCOM is providing administrative services and support to more than
300 foreign coalition liaison officers from over 60 countries fighting
the Global War on Terrorism with the United States.[Footnote 7] In
addition, CENTCOM is paying travel, subsistence, and personal expenses
to over 70 liaison officers from more than 30 developing countries that
are included in the larger number.
CENTCOM Support to Liaison Officers Benefits Global War on Terrorism:
In the absence of guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense
or the Joint Staff, CENTCOM officials established internal operating
procedures to provide the administrative and travel related support
that the foreign coalition liaison officers needed. These procedures
are not written, but they are based on existing criteria defining
developing countries, federal regulations governing travel, economies
of scale, and what appears to be prudent fiscal management.
In providing administrative services and support, CENTCOM officials
determined that each country's delegation (limited to no more than five
foreign coalition liaison officers) would be provided a trailer for
office space with furniture, telephone, computer, printer, copier, and
shredder. Some of the smaller delegations share office space. CENTCOM
pays for the furniture, shredders, copiers, telephones, and part of the
custodial expense. MacDill Air Force Base, which is host to CENTCOM,
pays for trailer leases, utilities, external security, and part of the
custodial expense.[Footnote 8] These trailers are located on MacDill
property in a fenced compound with security guards on duty. We toured
some of the trailers and determined that CENTCOM was providing the
space and equipment typical of a small office for the coalition
officers. However, CENTCOM officials told us that some countries have
spent their own funds to upgrade the office space provided.
In determining how to pay the travel, subsistence, and personal
expenses for coalition liaison officers from developing countries,
CENTCOM officials told us they used existing criteria and federal
regulations to guide their decisions. Absent a DOD or Department of
State list of what would be considered developing countries, CENTCOM
officials told us they use a list of countries generated by the
Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, an international
organization to which the United States belongs, and defined by that
organization as "Least Developed: Other Low Income and Lower Middle
Income." According to the officials, this list is recognized by the
Joint Staff. To determine the appropriate amounts to provide for
travel, subsistence, and personal expenses, CENTCOM officials use the
Joint Federal Travel Regulations.[Footnote 9]
CENTCOM officials established some basic standards for authorizing
travel, subsistence, and personal expenses for the coalition liaison
officers from developing countries. CENTCOM pays for one round-trip
airplane ticket from an officer's country of origin to Tampa, Florida,
where CENTCOM is headquartered, and return during a tour of duty. Other
trips home are at an officer's or his or her country's expense. Meals
and incidental expenses are based on the Joint Federal Travel
Regulations' rate for Tampa ($42 per day in fiscal year 2003) paid
monthly based on the number of days the officer actually spends in
Tampa. CENTCOM provides housing for foreign coalition liaison officers
through contracts it has negotiated with gated apartment complexes
offering on-site security. Because of the number of officers needing
housing (including those officers not from developing countries, who
pay for their own housing), CENTCOM officials told us that they were
able to negotiate rates for housing between $58 and $65 per day, which
are less than Joint Federal Travel Regulations' per diem rate for the
Tampa area ($93 per day in fiscal year 2003). CENTCOM does not pay any
expenses incurred for family members of the coalition liaison officer
who might accompany the officer to the United States. In fiscal year
2002, the first year the coalition was formed, coalition liaison
officers had to find their own housing, which was more expensive than
the contracts currently in place.
CENTCOM officials also told us that they rent cars for the coalition
liaison officers from the General Services Administration at a cost of
$350 per car per month, which is less expensive than renting from a
commercial car leasing company at a cost of $750 per month. Again,
because there are so many officers who require transportation, CENTCOM
was able to negotiate a lower rate. Officers are allowed one car for
each three members of a delegation. The officer whose name is on the
car rental agreement is allowed $60 per month for gas. The officers
assigned to the car must pay for any additional gas.
CENTCOM and MacDill Air Force Base spent a total of almost $30 million
between fiscal year 2002 and 2003 to support coalition liaison officers
(see table 1). In fiscal year 2002, CENTCOM and MacDill Air Force Base
spent $12.4 million to provide the administrative services and support
and pay travel, subsistence, and personal expenses for the coalition
liaison officers assigned to CENTCOM headquarters. The money came from
Combatant Commander's Initiative Funds and MacDill Air Force Base
funds. The amount spent in fiscal year 2003--nearly $17.1 million--
included $898,000 in Commander's Initiative Funds to pay for travel,
subsistence, and personal expenses, which was used until the
legislation to provide support to coalition liaison officers was passed
and the funds became available. The remaining amount came from CENTCOM
and MacDill funds.
In addition to CENTCOM, the Coalition Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa,
a CENTCOM subordinate operating command, reported spending over
$300,000 to provide administrative support and pay travel, subsistence,
and personal expenses to 13 liaison officers assigned to the task force
headquarters. No other subordinate operating command or component
command reported spending funds to support coalition liaison officers.
Table 1: Fiscal Year 2002 and Fiscal Year 2003 Costs by Type of Support
Provided to Coalition Liaison Officers:
Types of support: Administrative support; Infrastructure improvements;
Fiscal year 2002: $232,900;
Fiscal year 2003: $1,405,600.
Types of support: Administrative support; Trailer leases;
Fiscal year 2002: 490,600;
Fiscal year 2003: 1,000,400.
Types of support: Administrative support; Furniture;
Fiscal year 2002: 300,000;
Fiscal year 2003: 155,000.
Types of support: Administrative support; Command, control,
communication, computer, intelligence equipment[A];
Fiscal year 2002: 4,972,698;
Fiscal year 2003: 5,038,779.
Types of support: Administrative support; Command, control,
communication, computer, intelligence support[B];
Fiscal year 2002: 4,061,366;
Fiscal year 2003: 5,400,000.
Types of support: Administrative support; Force protection;
Fiscal year 2002: 793,000;
Fiscal year 2003: 956,000.
Types of support: Administrative support; Utilities;
Fiscal year 2002: 207,000;
Fiscal year 2003: 519,000.
Types of support: Administrative support; Miscellaneous one-time
costs;
Fiscal year 2002: 136,500;
Fiscal year 2003: 0.
Types of support: Administrative support; Subtotal;
Fiscal year 2002: $11,194,064;
Fiscal year 2003: $14,475,179.
Types of support: Personal expenses; Travel;
Fiscal year 2002: $480,000;
Fiscal year 2003: $1,363,000.
Types of support: Personal expenses; Housing and rental vehicles;
Fiscal year 2002: 734,000;
Fiscal year 2003: 1,219,000.
Types of support: Personal expenses; Subtotal;
Fiscal year 2002: $1,214,000;
Fiscal year 2003: $2,582,000.
Types of support: Total;
Fiscal year 2002: $12,408,064;
Fiscal year 2003: $17,057,179.
Source: Unaudited DOD data analyzed by GAO.
[A] Includes items such as computers, local area networks, servers, and
audio-visual dissemination systems.
[B] Includes maintenance, technical support, and repair on equipment.
[End of table]
CENTCOM officials stated that this legislation has benefited the
coalition by providing maximum communication and coordination for the
deployment of those forces committed to fighting the Global War on
Terrorism. They also stated that without the presence of the liaison
officers at CENTCOM, they could not accomplish the coalition
integration planning and coordination important to the Global War on
Terrorism as effectively or efficiently as they are doing. CENTCOM
officials stated that the legislation's authority to pay for travel,
subsistence, and personal expenses for developing countries' liaison
officers also has given the command a tool to use in negotiating with
developing countries for their participation in the coalition force.
Conclusions:
DOD-wide guidance provides uniform direction throughout the department
on how to implement programs and policies. While CENTCOM has developed
procedures for managing support to coalition liaison officers and has
taken steps to provide the support authorized by the legislation in the
least costly way, in the absence of DOD-wide guidance, there can be no
assurance that prudent procedures will always be followed. Moreover,
without DOD guidance, should other commands choose to use the authority
granted by this legislation, there is no assurance that they will
implement it in a uniform and prudent manner. As of January 2004, there
was no DOD office responsible for the implementation of the legislative
authority allowing commands to pay for support for coalition liaison
officers and no DOD-wide guidance on its use.
Recommendations for Executive Action:
We recommend that the Secretary of Defense take the following two
actions: (1) designate an office within DOD to take responsibility for
this legislation and (2) direct this designated office to promulgate
and issue guidance to the combatant commands and their component and
subordinate commands on how to implement this legislation.
Agency Comments:
In official oral comments on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with
the report. DOD stated that it would designate the Joint Staff as the
office responsible for implementing the legislation and issuing
appropriate guidance.
We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional
committees; the Secretary of Defense; and the Director, Office of
Management and Budget. We will also make copies available to others on
request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on the
GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff have any questions, please contact me on (757)
552-8100 or by e-mail at curtinn@gao.gov. Major contributors to this
report were Steven Sternlieb, Ann Borseth, Madelon Savaides, David
Mayfield, and Renee McElveen.
Signed by:
Neal P. Curtin,
Director, Defense Capabilities and Management:
FOOTNOTES
[1] National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, Public Law
107-314, title XII, section 1201, (Dec. 2, 2002).
[2] A combatant command is a unified command established and so
designated by the President of the United States with a broad
continuing mission under a single commander, typically with geographic
or functional (e.g., transportation) responsibilities. A component
command consists of a commander and those forces of a military service
assigned to a combatant command. A subordinate operational command is
established on an area or functional basis by a combatant commander to
conduct operations.
[3] The term "developing country" as defined by the Organization of
Economic Cooperation and Development, an international organization to
which the United States belongs, is a country included in the
organization's list, "Least Developed: Other Low Income and Lower
Middle Income."
[4] The National Security Strategy of the United States of America,
September 2002.
[5] The exact number of countries in the coalition is classified.
[6] Combatant Commander's Initiative Funds are provided to the
combatant commander by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for
certain activities authorized by 10 U.S.C. section 166a. Joint Chiefs
of Staff policy normally precludes using these funds for multiyear
activities.
[7] The exact number of coalition liaison officers and countries is
classified.
[8] In January, 2004, we reported on the leases MacDill Air Force Base
negotiated for the trailers used as offices by the coalition liaison
officers (Defense Management: Issues in Contracting for Lodging and
Temporary Office Space at MacDill Air Force Base, GAO-04-296, Jan. 27,
2004). In that report, we identified weaknesses in contract management
that prevented us from assessing why final costs for the trailers were
higher than originally estimated.
[9] The Joint Federal Travel Regulations govern the amount of per diem,
travel, and transportation allowances that federal government employees
can receive when they are traveling on official government business.
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