Combating Terrorism

Since a terrorist bomb killed 19 U.S. military personnel in Saudi Arabia last year, U.S. forces are significantly better protected from terrorist attacks in such high-risk areas as Turkey and the Middle East, but troops in many regions remain vulnerable because there are no mandatory security standards for military buildings. In addition, the Defense Department (DOD) has placed less emphasis on addressing vulnerabilities in countries that are currently considered to have a lower threat. GAO recommends that DOD develop common standards and procedures that would include (1) standardized vulnerability assessments to ensure a consistent level of quality and to allow comparisons among different sites, (2) DOD-wide physical security standards that are measurable yet provide flexibility when required by local circumstances, and (3) procedures to maintain greater consistency among commands in their implementation of threat condition security measures.

GAO noted that: (1) many deployed U.S. forces are better protected today from terrorist attacks similar to the one that occurred at Khobar Towers; (2) during March and April 1997, GAO visited 30 overseas sites and found that security improvements were most evident where the risk of terrorism is the greatest, such as Turkey and the Middle East; (3) DOD has placed less emphasis on addressing vulnerabilities in countries that are currently considered to have a lower threat; (4) senior military commanders and defense officials GAO met with emphasized that they can reduce, but not eliminate, vulnerabilities and that further terrorist attacks against U.S. forces should be expected; (5) they also observed that efforts to defend against terrorism are complicated by a number of factors, including the ability of terrorists to decide where and when to attack and to choose from a wide selection of targets; (6) nevertheless, the officials said, some risk must be accepted as the United States pursues its national security strategy abroad; (7) since the bombing at Khobar Towers, DOD has initiated a number of changes aimed at improving its antiterrorism program; (8) for example, DOD has established a new office for combatting terrorism in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, enhanced the antiterrorism responsibilities of the geographic combatant commands, and instituted a vulnerability assessment process under the aegis of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; (9) these initiatives, however, have not resulted in a comprehensive, consistent approach to antiterrorism as called for by the Downing task force; (10) for instance, DOD's force protection focal point has not provided the geographic combatant commanders the guidance the commanders believe they need to carry out their expanded antiterrorism responsibilities; (11) such guidance would include establishing standards for assessing vulnerabilities and agencywide physical security requirements designed to provide a minimum level of protection to U.S. forces no matter where they are located; (12) a comprehensive, consistent approach to antiterrorism using common standards would give commanders a more objective basis for determining whether they are providing adequate protection to their facilities and personnel; and (13) DOD would have a capability to compare vulnerabilities at different sites on a worldwide basis and thus ensure that sufficient emphasis is being placed on the most vulnerable areas.

Recommendations

Our 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.

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