Download or read book Hard Lessons written by and published by Government Printing Office. This book was released on 2009-10-02 with total page 484 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a comprehensive history of the U.S. program, chiefly derived from SIGIR's body of extensive oversight work in Iraq, hundreds of interviews with key figures involved with the reconstruction program, and thousands of documents. The report examines the pre-war planning for reconstruction, the shift from a large infrastructure program to a more community-based one, and the success of the Surge in 2007 and beyond. The report provides thirteen lessons applicable to contingency relief and reconstruction operations, which should create a basis for reviewing and reforming the U.S. approach to these activities.

Download or read book Hard Lessons the Iraq Reconstruction Experience written by Stuart W. Bowen and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 508 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A combination of poor planning, weak oversight and greed cheated U.S. taxpayers and undermined American forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. U.S. taxpayers have paid nearly $51 billion for projects in Iraq, including training the Iraqi army and police and rebuilding Iraq's oil, electric, justice, health and transportation sectors. Many of the projects did not succeed, partly because of violence in Iraq and friction between U.S. officials in Washington and Iraqi officials in Baghdad. The U.S. gov¿t. "was neither prepared for nor able to respond quickly to the ever-changing demands" of stabilizing Iraq and then rebuilding it. This report reviews the problems in the war effort, which the Bush admin. claimed would cost $2.4 billion. Charts and tables.

Download or read book Hard Lessons written by United States. Department of State and published by www.Militarybookshop.CompanyUK. This book was released on 2009-02 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents a comprehensive history of the U.S. program, chiefly derived from SIGIR's body of extensive oversight work in Iraq, hundreds of interviews with key figures involved with the reconstruction program, and thousands of documents. The report examines the pre-war planning for reconstruction, the shift from a large infrastructure program to a more community-based one, and the success of the Surge in 2007 and beyond. The report provides thirteen lessons applicable to contingency relief and reconstruction operations, which should create a basis for reviewing and reforming the U.S. approach to these activities.

Download or read book Hard Lessons the Iraq Reconstruction Experience a Report of SIGIR the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction written by United States Government US Army and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-03-18 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the March 2003 invasion, the Congress appropriated about $50 billion in taxpayer dollars for Iraq's relief and reconstruction. This generous provision funded a continuously evolving rebuilding program that sought, among other things, to restore Iraq's essential services, establish new security forces, create a free-market economy, and put the country on the path to achieving an effective democracy. Some of the initiatives succeeded but others did not. Hard Lessons, the first comprehensive account of the Iraq reconstruction effort, reviews in detail the United States' rebuilding program, shedding light on why certain programs worked while others fell short of goals. Since 2003, the U.S. Congress has appropriated more than $50 billion for the support of relief and reconstruction efforts in Iraq, including the restoration of the country's oil and electricity sectors, the establishment of new security forces, and the strengthening of Iraq's capacity to govern itself. A number of federal agencies-including SIGIR, the U.S. Army Audit Agency, the Inspectors General of the Directorates of Defense, State, and USAID, and the Government Accountability Office-have conducted oversight of and reporting on the expenditure of funds for Iraq relief and reconstruction activities. This extensive body of work is available in studies, reports, audits, inspections, and congressional testimony covering issues that arose during the expenditure of U.S. government funds for or in Iraq. They range from the meticulous analysis of specific projects to broad overviews of entire programs and sectors. Most included recommendations for improving the management of reconstruction efforts now and in the future. In 2008, the Congress established the independent, bipartisan Commission on Wartime Contracting to study U.S. wartime contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Its mandate is to study, assess, and make recommendations concerning contracting for "the reconstruction, logistical support, and performance of security functions" in both theaters from 2003 to the time of the commission's final report in 2010. Its objectives include assessing "the systemic problems identified with interagency wartime contracting," identifying instances of waste, fraud, and abuse and "ensuring accountability for those responsible.

Download or read book Hard Lessons The Iraq Reconstruction Experience written by and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 379 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience appears virtually upon the five-year anniversary of my appointment as Inspector General in Iraq. Shortly after that appointment, I met with Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, to whom I reported, to discuss the mission. His first words were: Why did you take this job? It is an impossible task. I began to understand why he offered so startling a welcome during the following week, when I made my first trip to Iraq to begin setting up oversight of the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), then in charge of Iraq's reconstruction. My office in the Republican Palace, which housed the CPA and would later house the U.S. Embassy was adjacent to the CPA Comptroller's. What I saw was troubling: large amounts of cash moving quickly out the door. Later that same day, walking the halls of the palace, I overheard someone say: We can't do that anymore. There is a new inspector general here. These red flags were the first signs of how challenging executing oversight in Iraq would be. But it has not been impossible, chiefly because of the professional, productive, and courageous conduct of the many auditors, inspectors, and investigators who have worked diligently to fulfill the mission of the Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). SIGIR's oversight jurisdiction covers about $50 billion in U.S. funds appropriated by the Congress for Iraq the largest relief and reconstruction effort for one country in U.S. history. This sea of taxpayer dollars flowed to a wide spectrum of initiatives, ranging from training Iraq's army and police to building large electrical, oil, and water projects; from supporting democracy-building efforts to strengthening budget execution by provincial councils; and from funding rule-of-law reforms to ensuring that the Iraqi government sustains what the U.S. program provided.

Download or read book Learning from Iraq a Final Report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction written by United States Government Special Inspector for Iraq Reconstruction and published by . This book was released on 2013-03-08 with total page 184 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Final Report From the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction culminates SIGIR's nine-year mission overseeing Iraq's reconstruction. It serves as a follow-up to our previous comprehensive review of the rebuilding effort, Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience.This study provides much more than a recapitulation of what the reconstruction program accomplished and what my office found in the interstices. While examining both of these issues and many more, Learning From Iraq importantly captures the effects of the rebuilding program as derived from 44 interviews with the recipients (the Iraqi leadership), the executors (U.S. senior leaders), and the providers (congressional members). These interviews piece together an instructive picture of what was the largest stabilization and reconstruction operation ever undertaken by the United States (until recently overtaken by Afghanistan). The body of this report reveals countless details about the use of more than $60 billion in taxpayer dollars to support programs and projects in Iraq. It articulates numerous lessons derived from SIGIR's 220 audits and 170 inspections, and it lists the varying consequences meted out from the 82 convictions achieved through our investigations. It urges and substantiates necessary reforms that could improve stabilization and reconstruction operations, and it highlights the financial benefits accomplished by SIGIR's work: more than $1.61 billion from audits and over $191 million from investigations.

Download or read book Hard Lessons written by Stuart Bowen and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2009-02-02 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hard Lessons reviews the Iraq reconstruction experience from mid-2002 through the fall of 2008. Like SIGIR's previous lessons learned reports, this study is not an audit. Rather, it arises from our congressional mandate to provide "advice and recommendations on policies to promote economy, efficiency, and effectiveness" in programs created for Iraq's relief and reconstruction. The report presents a chronological history of the reconstruction program, threading together a number of themes including: * the enormous challenges that security problems posed for rebuilding efforts * the dramatic and frequently reactive course-changes in reconstruction strategy * the turbulence engendered by continual personnel turnover at every level * the waste caused by inadequate contracting and program management practices * the poor integration of interagency efforts caused by weak unity of command and inconsistent unity of effort. The text of this report-through vignette, interview, and factual detail-explicates these themes by, in turn, laying out the blinkered and disjointed prewar planning for postwar Iraq; the CPA's large and ultimately too ambitious expansion of the reconstruction program; the security-driven reprogrammings required by the exploding insurgency; the strongly resourced response of the surge; and the rise of Iraq's role in its own reconstruction. Hard Lessons answers some important questions about the U.S. relief and reconstruction program in Iraq: * Did the program meet the goals it set for itself? Was the program grossly burdened by waste and fraud? Why did reconstruction efforts so often fail to meet their mark?The research for Hard Lessons comprised interviews with hundreds of individuals and the review of thousands of documents. SIGIR reached out to virtually every major player in the Iraq reconstruction experience and almost all agreed to be interviewed or provide useful responses. Among others, Secretaries Powell, Rumsfeld, Gates, and Rice; USAID Administrator Natsios and Deputy Administrator Kunder; Deputy Secretaries Wolfowitz, England, Armitage and Negroponte; Under Secretary Feith; Ambassadors Bremer, Khalilzad, Crocker, Jeffrey, Satterfield, Speckhard, Taylor, and Saloom; and Generals Garner, Abizaid, McKiernan, Strock, Eaton, Sanchez, Casey, Petraeus, Odierno, Chiarelli, Dempsey, and McCoy were all interviewed by SIGIR or gave helpful information or advice. We also interviewed Iraqi leaders, including former Prime Ministers Allawi and Ja'afari, Deputy Prime Ministers Chalabi and Salih, Ambassador Sumaida'ie, Judge Radhi, and Minister Baban. Equally important to the study, SIGIR staff interviewed hundreds of military members, government officials, and civilian contractors who carried out the "brick and mortar" work of Iraq's relief and reconstruction. The report also draws on the body of SIGIR audits, inspections, and investigations, as well as reports from other investigative bodies.

Download or read book Learning from Iraq written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Foreign Affairs. Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Learning from Iraq written by Stuart W. Bowen, Jr. and published by . This book was released on 2013-04-06 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This report culminates the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction’s (SIGIR's) nine-year mission overseeing Iraq's reconstruction. It recapitulates what the reconstruction program accomplished and what SIGIR found in the interstices, and also captures the effects of the rebuilding program as derived from 44 interviews with the recipients (the Iraqi leadership), the executors (U.S. senior leaders), and the providers (congressional members). These interviews provide a picture of the largest stabilization and reconstruction operation ever undertaken by the U.S. (until recently overtaken by Afghanistan). The report reveals countless details about the use of more than $60 billion in taxpayer dollars to support programs and projects in Iraq. It articulates numerous lessons derived from SIGIR's 220 audits and 170 inspections and lists the varying consequences meted out from the 82 convictions achieved through SIGIR’s investigations. The report concludes that not enough was accomplished in Iraq for the amount of funds spent. Figures and tables.

Download or read book Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction SIGIR The Year of Transition Enters the Fourth Quarter written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 532 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I am pleased to submit to the Congress, Secretary Rice, Secretary Rumsfeld, and the American people, the 11th Quarterly Report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). SIGIR's mission, in simple terms, is to account for U.S. taxpayer funds invested in the reconstruction of Iraq. As this Report indicates, that accounting reveals a mixed story, with many successful projects completed while others fall short. This story underscores the importance of ensuring that the next phase of Iraq reconstruction stays on track. SIGIR remains committed to doing its part toward achieving that goal. Of significant note, the Department of State continues to provide exemplary support for the reconstruction mission and SIGIR's oversight of it. The Iraq relief and reconstruction program has entered the fourth quarter in this Year of Transition. Section 1 of the Report contains SIGIR's observations about this development, emphasizing several urgent matters that require action. Section 2 of this Report provides SIGIR's sector-by-sector analyses of reconstruction; Section 3 summarizes SIGIR's audits, inspections, and investigations; and Section 4 provides reporting on other agencies oversight activity.

Download or read book Learning from Iraq written by United States. Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book SIGIR Lessons Learned Reports written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Quarterly Report and Semiannual Report to the United States Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The 16th Quarterly Report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). 2008 will be a "Year of Transfer" in Iraq, bringing with it the continued evolution of the U.S. program. This evolution means that the Government of Iraq (GOI) must assert ever greater responsibility for national security and economic planning, including the full funding and sustainment of ongoing relief and reconstruction efforts. The U.S. role, at this stage, is supportive, aimed chiefly at capacity-building initiatives within the economic, political, and security spheres. Three issues that could affect the Year of Transfer are: (1) a potential budget windfall from higher oil prices, (2) consequences from pending legal and legislative developments regarding Iraq's governance, and (3) the continuing shift of primary provincial security responsibilities to Iraqi control. Average oil production in Iraq this quarter hit a post-war high of 2.38 million barrels per day, enhancing the likelihood that Iraq's national income in 2008 will significantly exceed expectations. Section 3 of this Report contains summaries of SIGIR's seven new audit products, two of which continued SIGIR's programmatic review of major Iraq Relief and Reconstruction Fund (IRRF) contracts. One report examined the work of Parsons Delaware, Inc., under its large design-build contract for projects in the buildings, health, and education sectors. The report reveals that Parsons completed only 3 of the 11 task orders issued under the contract. The other contract review examines the reconstruction work of Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group, Inc., on a project managed by the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment, finding that the contract's goals were largely met. A third Parsons audit will be released in the upcoming quarter.

Download or read book Quarterly Report and Semiannual Report to the United States Congress written by United States. Office of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction and published by . This book was released on with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction Quaterly and Semiannual Report to the United States Congress written by and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 749 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the past quarter, SIGIR produced 8 new audit products, 5 on-the-ground project assessments, and made progress on 57 ongoing investigations into allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse. Two more criminals caught in major bribery conspiracies uncovered by SIGIR were sentenced to prison. And several arrests were made in a significant new bribery case arising from the successful work of a law enforcement task force of which SIGIR is a part. The 8 new audits bring to 94 the total number of audits produced over the past three years, and the 5 new inspections bring the total number of inspections to 95. Of SIGIR's 57 ongoing investigations, 28 are being prosecuted by the Department of Justice. To date, SIGIR's investigative work has produced 13 arrests, 5 convictions, 5 imprisonments, a 25-count indictment of 5 persons, and nearly $16 million in court-ordered restitution and seizures. A table listing all convictions for fraud related to reconstruction work in Iraq is contained in Section 1 of this Report. Since our last Quarterly Report was released in April, the SIGIR has testified before three congressional hearings.

Download or read book Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction SIGIR April 2006 Quarterly Report written by and published by . This book was released on 2006 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: I am pleased to submit to the U.S. Congress and the Secretaries of State and Defense the ninth Quarterly Report from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR). As this year of transition in Iraq reconstruction unfolds, U.S.-funded projects are rapidly being completed and transferred to Iraqi management and control. Within that context, SIGIR identifies, in Section 1 of this Report, five critical issues the resolution of which will help advance Iraq toward economic prosperity and democratic success. Section 2 of this Report updates SIGIR s previous reviews of Iraq s essential service sectors oil and gas, electricity, and water and provides initial reports on the following sectors: security; transportation and communications; health care; and democracy, education, and private sector development. Section 3 of this Report provides summaries of SIGIR audits, inspections, and investigations performed this quarter. Notable among the audits is a performance review of the contract to construct primary health care centers across Iraq. SIGIR inspectors continued to meet their mission this quarter, which is to visit project sites from every sector and geographical region in Iraq and report on the quality of the work performed. SIGIR s investigators continued work on more than 70 cases in Iraq and the U.S., combating and detering fraud. This Report also contains a thorough review of the history and status of investments in Iraq s relief and reconstruction by non-U.S. donor nations and international institutions, as well as a summary of Iraq s current debt situation. SIGIR's Lessons Learned initiative made progress this quarter toward the publication of the contracting report, which will be out next quarter. The Lessons Learned forum on program and project management was held in April, and that report will be out in the summer of 2006.