Drug Control: Assets DOD Contributes to Reducing the Illegal Drug Supply Have Declined
NSIAD-00-9
Published: Dec 21, 1999. Publicly Released: Dec 21, 1999.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the assets the Department of Defense (DOD) has contributed to reducing the illegal drug supply, focusing on: (1) DOD's plan for supporting U.S. counterdrug efforts and how DOD measures its effectiveness; (2) changes in the level of DOD support for counterdrug activities from fiscal year (FY) 1992 through FY 1999 and the reasons for the changes; and (3) obstacles DOD faces in providing counterdrug assistance to foreign governments.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | In order for DOD to analyze and report on the relative effectiveness of its counterdrug detection and monitoring efforts on a consistent basis, the Secretary of Defense should direct that DOD's Office for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support to coordinate with the joint interagency task forces and the Office of National Drug Control Policy to develop a set of performance measures for assessing DOD's contributions to U.S. counterdrug operations. |
Closed – Implemented
In December 1999, GAO found that due to reductions in budgets, force structure, and the lower priority according to the counterdrug mission, the assets DOD provided to the international counterdrug effort had declined. Additionally, GAO reported that although DOD had been involved in the counterdrug effort for over a decade, it had not developed performance measures. Consequently, DOD could not assess the effectiveness of its strategy, operations, and the assets it contributed to the U.S. national counterdrug program. The report recommended that DOD develop a set of performance measures to assess and report on its contributions to U.S. counterdrug operations. On April 14, 2000, at the request of DOD, GAO met with contractors hired by the department to begin developing performance measures. In August 2000, DOD agreed on a framework for its performance measures for an effective system scheduled for implementation in the Fall of 2000.
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Topics
Drug traffickingForeign governmentsForeign military assistanceForeign military trainingForeign policiesInternational cooperationLaw enforcementNarcoticsPerformance measuresCommunication systems