Download or read book Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq Actions Needed to Address Inadequate Accountability Over U S Efforts and Investments written by David M. Walker and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2008-08 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since 2001, Congress has appropriated nearly $700 billion for the global war on terrorism. The majority of these funds have supported U.S. efforts in Iraq. Congressional oversight is crucial to improve performance, ensure accountability, and protect U.S. programs from fraud, waste, and abuse. Since 2003, there have been nearly 130 Iraq-related reports and testimonies. This testimony addresses: (1) factors contributing to poor contracting outcomes and accountability; (2) long-standing issues in the Dept. of Defense¿s management and oversight of contractors supporting deployed forces; and (3) efforts to improve the capacity of the Iraqi government Includes recommendations. Charts and tables.
Download or read book Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq written by United States Government Accountability Office and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-01-15 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq: Actions Needed to Address Inadequate Accountability over U.S. Efforts and Investments
Download or read book Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq written by David Michael Walker and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since 2001, Congress has appropriated nearly $700 billion for the global war on terrorism. The majority of these funds have supported U.S. efforts in Iraq. Congressional oversight is crucial to improve performance, ensure accountability, and protect U.S. programs from fraud, waste, and abuse. Since 2003, GAO has issued nearly 130 Iraq-related reports and testimonies. This testimony addresses (1) factors contributing to poor contracting outcomes and accountability, (2) long-standing issues in the Department of Defense's (DOD) management and oversight of contractors supporting deployed forces, and (3) efforts to improve the capacity of the Iraqi government. GAO reviewed U.S. agency documents and interviewed officials from State, DOD, and other agencies; the United Nations (UN); and the Iraqi government. We also made multiple trips to Iraq.
Download or read book Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq Actions Needed to Address Inadequate Accountability Over U S Efforts and Investments written by and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: U.S. efforts in Iraq have relied extensively on contractors to undertake reconstruction projects and provide support to U.S. forces. However, a lack of well-defined requirements, poor business arrangements, and inadequate oversight and accountability have negatively affected reconstruction and support efforts. For example, in a July 2007 report, GAO found that DOD completed negotiation for task orders on an oil contract more than 6 months after the work commenced and most costs were incurred. DOD paid nearly all of the $221 million in costs questioned by auditors. Also in July 2007, GAO found that unclear DOD guidance, inadequate staff, and insufficient technology resulted in poor accountability over more than 190,000 weapons provided to Iraqi forces. DOD concurred with GAO's recommendation to determine what DOD accountability procedures apply or should apply to the program. However, as of March 2008, DOD had not made a determination. The need to effectively manage and oversee contractors supporting deployed forces is equally important. DOD pays billions of dollars each year for contracted goods and services in locations such as Iraq and elsewhere. However, several long-standing and systemic problems continue to hinder DOD's management and oversight of contractors at deployed locations, including the failure to follow planning guidance, provide an adequate number of contract oversight personnel, systematically collect and distribute lessons learned, and provide predeployment training for military commanders and contract oversight personnel on the use and role of contractors. GAO s work has identified instances where poor oversight and management of contractors led to negative financial and operational impacts.
Download or read book Stabilizing and Rebuilding Iraq written by United States. Government Accountability Office and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Iraq's ministries were decimated following years of neglect and centralized control under the former regime. Developing competent and loyal Iraqi ministries is critical to stabilizing and rebuilding Iraq. The President received $140 million in fiscal year 2007 funds and requested an additional $255 million in fiscal year 2008 to develop the capacity of the Iraq's ministries. This report assesses (1) the nature and extent of U.S. efforts to develop the capacity of the Iraqi ministries, (2) the key challenges to these efforts, and (3) the extent to which the U.S. government has an overall integrated strategy for these efforts. For this effort, GAO reviewed U.S. project contracts and reports and interviewed officials from the Departments of State (State), Defense (DOD), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Baghdad and Washington, D.C. Over the past 4 years, U.S. efforts to help build the capacity of the Iraqi national government have been characterized by (1) multiple U.S. agencies leading individual efforts, without overarching direction from a lead entity that integrates their efforts; and (2) shifting timeframes and priorities in response to deteriorating security and the reorganization of the U.S. mission in Iraq. First, no single agency is in charge of leading the U.S. ministry capacity development efforts, although State took steps to improve coordination in early 2007. State, DOD and USAID have led separate efforts at Iraqi ministries. About $169 million in funds were allocated in 2005 and 2006 for these efforts. As of mid-2007, State and USAID were providing 169 capacity development advisors to 10 key civilian ministries and DOD was providing 215 to the Ministries of Defense and Interior. Second, the focus of U.S. capacity development efforts has shifted from long-term institution-building projects, such as helping the Iraqi government develop its own capacity development strategy, to an immediate effort to help Iraqi ministries overcome their inability to spend their capital budgets and deliver essential services to the Iraqi people. U.S. ministry capacity efforts face four key challenges that pose a risk to their success and long-term sustainability. First, Iraqi ministries lack personnel with key skills, such as budgeting and procurement. Second, sectarian influence over ministry leadership and staff complicates efforts to build a professional and non-aligned civil service. Third, pervasive corruption in the Iraqi ministries impedes the effectiveness of U.S. efforts. Fourth, poor security limits U.S. advisors' access to their Iraqi counterparts, preventing ministry staff from attending planned training sessions and contributing to the exodus of skilled professionals to other countries. The U.S. government is beginning to develop an integrated strategy for U.S. capacity development efforts in Iraq, although agencies have been implementing separate programs since 2003. GAO's previous analyses of U.S. multiagency national strategies demonstrate that such a strategy should integrate the efforts of the involved agencies with the priorities of the Iraqi government, and include a clear purpose and scope; a delineation of U.S. roles, responsibilities, and coordination with other donors, including the United Nations; desired goals and objectives; performance measures; and a description of benefits and costs. Moreover, it should attempt to address and mitigate the risks associated with the four challenges identified above. U.S. ministry capacity efforts to date have included some but not all of these components. For example, agencies are working to clarify roles and responsibilities. However, U.S. efforts lack clear ties to Iraqi-identified priorities at all ministries, clear performance measures to determine results at civilian ministries, and information on how resources will be targeted to achieve the desired end-state.
Download or read book Addressing U S Strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book American Foreign Policy and Postwar Reconstruction written by Jeff Bridoux and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-01-11 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the eve of the invasion of Iraq, President G.W. Bush argued that if setting up democracy in Japan and Germany after WW II was successful, then it should also be successful in Iraq. This book provides a detailed comparison of the reconstruction of Japan from 1945 to 1952 with the current reconstruction of Iraq, evaluating the key factors affecting the success or failure of such projects. The book seeks to understand why American officials believed that extensive social reengineering aiming at seeding democracy and economic development is replicable, through identifying factors explaining the outcome of U.S.-led post-conflict reconstruction projects. The analysis reveals that in addition to the effective use of material resources of power, the outcome of reconstruction projects depends on a variety of other intertwined factors, and Bridoux provides a new analytical framework relying on a Gramscian concept of power to develop a greater understanding of these factors, and the ultimate success or failure of these reconstruction projects. Appraising the effectiveness of American power in the contemporary international structure, this work is a significant contribution to the field and will be of great interest to all scholars of foreign policy, international relations and conflict studies.
Download or read book The Foundations of Organizational Evil written by Carole L. Jurkiewicz and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2015-02-24 with total page 442 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Numerous reprehensible corporate, governmental, and nonprofit activities over recent years have highlighted the existence of organizational evil. Unlike other works on the topic, this book fully develops the concept of organizational evil, conceptually weaving the interchange between evil individuals (microlevel) who ultimately create the organizational environment that is evil, and the macrolevel elements of policy, culture, and manipulations of the social environment.
Download or read book Military Operations written by Sharon Pickup and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-12 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: U.S. gov¿t. agencies, including the DoD and the USAID have spent billions of dollars to develop Afghanistan. From FY¿s 2004 to 2008, DoD has reported obligations of about $1 billion for its Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP), which enables commanders to respond to urgent humanitarian and reconstruction needs. As troop levels increase, DoD officials expect the program to expand. This report assessed DoD's: (1) capacity to manage and oversee the CERP in Afghanistan; and (2) coordination of projects with USAID. Includes recommendations. Illustrations.
Download or read book Measuring Value and Risk in Services Contracts written by United States. Congress. House. Committee on Armed Services. Panel on Defense Acquisition Reform and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Managing Public Sector Projects written by David S. Kassel and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-09-25 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Filling a gap in project management literature, Managing Public Sector Projects: A Strategic Framework for Success in an Era of Downsized Government supplies managers and administrators—at all levels of government—with expert guidance on all aspects of public sector project management. From properly allocating risks in drafting contracts to dealing with downsized staffs and privatized services, this book clearly explains the technical concepts and the political issues involved. In line with the principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) and the PMBOK® Guide. David S. Kassel establishes a framework those in the public sector can follow to ensure the success of their public projects and programs. He supplies more than 30 real-life examples to illustrate the concepts behind the framework—including reconstruction projects in Iraq, the Big Dig project in Boston, local sewer system and library construction projects, and software technology. This authoritative resource provides strategic recommendations for effective planning, execution, and maintenance of public projects. It also: Highlights the differences between managing projects in the public sector versus the private sector Explains how to scrutinize costs, performance claims, and the backgrounds of prospective contractors Presents key safeguards that should be included in all contracts with contractors, consultants, suppliers, and other service providers Details the basics of project cost estimation, design and scheduling, and how to hold contractors responsible for meeting established project standards In an age of downsized government and in the face of a general distrust of public service, this book is a dependable guide for avoiding management practices that are common to projects that fail and for adopting the practices common to projects that succeed in terms of cost, schedule, and quality.
Download or read book Re mapping the Americas written by W. Andy Knight and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the end of the Second World War the map of the Americas has changed dramatically. Not only were many former European colonies turned into sovereign states, there was also an ongoing process of region-making recognizable throughout the hemisphere and obvious through the establishment of several regional agreements. The emergence of political and economic regional integration blocs is a very timely topic analyzed by scholars in many disciplines worldwide. This book looks at remapping the recent trends in region-making throughout the Americas in a way that hasn’t been at the center of academic analyses so far. While examining these regionalisation tendencies with a historical background in mind, the authors also answer fundamental questions such as: What influences does globalization have on region-making, both on normative regionalism plans as well as on actual economic, political, cultural, military and social regionalization processes driven by state and non-state actors? What ideas or interests lead states in the Americas to cooperate or compete with one another and how is this power distributed? How do these regional agreements affect trade relations and have there been trade barriers set up to protect national economies? What agreements exist or have existed and how did they change with regard to contents and for what reason? The book informs academic as well as non-academic audiences about regional developments in the Americas, in particular those dating back to the last twenty years. Beyond the primary purpose of summarizing the hemisphere’s recent trends, the book also brings clarification in a detailed but easy to understand way about timely issues regarding the institutionalisation, or lack thereof, of the plethora of regional and sub-regional bodies that have emerged in this hemisphere over the past couple of decades.
Download or read book A Revolution in Military Adaptation written by Chad C. Serena and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2011-09 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the early years of the Iraq War, the US Army was unable to translate initial combat success into strategic and political victory. Iraq plunged into a complex insurgency, and defeating this insurgency required beating highly adaptive foes. A competition between the hierarchical and vertically integrated army and networked and horizontally integrated insurgents ensued. The latter could quickly adapt and conduct networked operations in a decentralized fashion; the former was predisposed to fighting via prescriptive plans under a centralized command and control. To achieve success, the US Army went through a monumental process of organizational adaptation—a process driven by soldiers and leaders that spread throughout the institution and led to revolutionary changes in how the army supported and conducted its operations in Iraq. How the army adapted and the implications of this adaptation are the subject of this indispensable study. Intended for policymakers, defense and military professionals, military historians, and academics, this book offers a solid critique of the army’s current capacity to adapt to likely future adversary strategies and provides policy recommendations for retaining lessons learned in Iraq.
Download or read book Defense Acquisitions Actions Needed to Ensure Value for Service Contracts Congressional Testimony written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Interagency Collaboration written by Janet A. St. Laurent and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: While national security activities, which range from planning for an influenza pandemic to Iraq reconstruction, require collaboration among multiple agencies, the mechanisms used for such activities may not provide the means for interagency collaboration needed to meet modern national security challenges. This report addresses actions needed to enhance interagency collaboration for national security activities: (1) the development and implementation of overarching, integrated strategies; (2) the creation of collaborative organizations; (3) the development of a well-trained workforce; and (4) the sharing and integration of national security information across agencies. Charts and tables.
Download or read book Iraq and Afghanistan Availability of Forces Equipment and Infrastructure Should be Considered in Developing U S Strategy and Plans written by Janet St. Laurent and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009-05 with total page 26 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The U.S. is developing its strategy for operations in Afghanistan, as well as for the drawdown and continued operations of forces in Iraq. As of Dec. 2008, 32,500 U.S. troops were deployed in Afghanistan; an additional 30,000 more troops may be added. Since 2001, the war in Afghanistan changed from a violent struggle against al Qaeda and its Taliban supporters to a counterinsurgency effort. This testimony addresses: (1) observations regarding the dev¿t. of U.S. strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan; (2) factors that should be considered as the U.S. refines its strategy for Iraq and plans to draw down forces; and (3) factors that should be considered as the U.S. develops a strategy for Afghanistan and plans for increasing forces.
Download or read book Department of Defense Contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan written by Moshe Schwartz and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2010-02 with total page 29 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contents: (1) Background; (2) Managing Contractors during Contingency Contracting; (3) Number and Roles of Contractors in CENTCOM, in Iraq, in Afghanistan; (4) Efforts to Improve Contractor Management and Oversight; (5) Contractors in DoD Strategy and Doctrines: (a) Can Contractors Undermine U.S. Efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan?; (b) DoD Strategy and Doctrine: The National Defense Strategy and Quadrennial Defense Review; Field Manual on Operations; Field Manual on Counterinsurgency; New Doctrine, DoD Instructions, and Other Efforts; (6) Selected Congressional Hearings and Legislation; (7) Contract Management, Oversight, and Coordination: Training Contractors and the Military in Contingency Contracting. Illus.
