Department of Defense

The Defense Department's (DOD) Humanitarian and Civic Assistance program oversees donations of excess military property and supplies, coordinates civic assistance and disaster assistance, and transports food and supplies from private donors to foreign countries. At least 117 countries have received equipment and supplies under the program. In fiscal year 1993, National Guard units from 29 states traveled to Latin America to work on civic assistance programs. The full extent and costs of the program are unknown, however, because DOD conducts some projects without State Department approval and does not report all program expenses. Coordination between the U.S. military and the U.S. embassies and missions in Panama and Honduras was minimal. Some DOD projects were not designed to contribute to foreign policy objectives, did not appear to enhance U.S. military training, and either lacked host country support or went unused. As for oversight, DOD has yet to issue regulations governing program activities. In addition, the Southern and Pacific commands have not systematically evaluated the success of projects, and program officials have not routinely visited projects to evaluate their progress.