From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: Security of Diplomatic Residences Description: Audio Interview by GAO staff with Michael Courts, Director, International Affairs and Trade Related GAO Work: GAO-15-700: Diplomatic Security: State Department Should Better Manage Risks to Residences and Other Soft Targets Overseas Released: July 2015 [ Background Music ] [ Narrator: ] Welcome to GAO's Watchdog Report, your source for news and information from the U.S. Government Accountability Office. It's July 2015. Since the 1998 East Africa bombings, the State Department has built new facilities or enhanced security at many embassies and consulates. But concerns have been raised that places like diplomatic residences and schools may be viewed by terrorists as attractive targets. A team led by Michael Courts, a director in GAO's International Affairs and Trade team, recently reviewed the department's efforts to assess and manage risks at these locations. GAO's Jacques Arsenault sat down with Michael to talk about what they found. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] Your report uses the term “soft targets”. Can you talk about what these targets are? Clearly, residences are one, but what are some of the other locations that you're looking at in this report? [ Michael Courts: ] Sure. Well as you said, diplomatic residences were really the main focus of our report, but we also looked at other places where U.S. personnel and their families congregate, primarily schools attended by the children of U.S. government employees. Also employee association and recreational facilities located outside embassy or consulate compounds and, to a lesser extent, facilities such as hotels and hospitals. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] And what kinds of risks is the State Department looking at with respect to residences and these other places? [ Michael Courts: ] State looks at a number of security risks including the potential risk of terrorism or crime or political violence at each overseas post. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] So then what is State currently doing to assess and mitigate risks at residences? [ Michael Courts: ] It has several processes for that. First, the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security, which has the primary responsibility for keeping our diplomatic facilities and personnel safe overseas, they determine threat levels at each overseas post. And as I said earlier, for example, they would determine the level of threat posed by potential political violence or terrorism or crime. And then those threat levels then serve as the basis for the types of physical security standards that apply to each residence. And then, State periodically assesses its residences against those standards to determine if there are any potential security vulnerabilities. And when they find them, State is supposed to install security upgrades such as locks and alarms, perimeter walls, stronger doors and those sorts of things. And we saw many examples of these types of security upgrades during our review. But overall, we found that more than half of the residences we visited didn't meet all of the required security standards. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] And how about managing risks at these other soft targets? [ Michael Courts: ] State takes several actions to manage risks at schools and other soft targets. For example, State provides funding for physical security upgrades at schools and off compound employee and recreational association facilities. In addition, there are security officers at each overseas post. They work with school administrators to identify risks-- potential risks and help schools obtain funding for upgrades and offer general security-related advice to them. These officers also conduct security surveys at schools and hotels and other facilities that U.S. government personnel use overseas. And they also share local threat information with schools and others outside the U.S. government. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] Can you talk a little bit about how this work has changed in recent years? [ Michael Courts: ] Well, the State Department deploys its personnel to quite a few places in the world that are fairly dangerous. And I would say, in recent years, we've kept our staff overseas in locations that are more dangerous than we would have kept them in the past. And part of that is because the consideration is that it may be more dangerous for us not to be there from a U.S. foreign-policy standpoint. So we're keeping our staff in places that we would have evacuated them from some years ago. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] So then what recommendations did GAO make to State in this report to improve those efforts? [ Michael Courts: ] Well, we made five in total. And four of the five were about residences. For example, we recommended that State ensure that all residences overseas either meet the necessary standards or they have documentation on file explaining why the standards aren't being met and what mitigation steps are being taken to address the security gaps. Another was for State to make sure that security officials are routinely assessing the residences at their post to look for security vulnerabilities. We also recommended that State clarify its security standards and guidance and eliminate some of the gaps and inconsistencies they have. And then the fifth recommendation was about schools and other soft targets. And in particular, we recommended that State take steps to make sure that security officials at their overseas post were aware of all the security-related guidance and tools that State has developed for schools and other soft target facilities. [ Jacques Arsenault: ] Finally, what would you say is the bottom line of this report? [ Michael Courts: ] The bottom line is that State has taken several important steps to address security risks at residences and other soft targets overseas. But we found a number of problems in the implementation of State's risk management efforts. And unless State addresses these problems, it really can't be sure that it has the most effective security measures in place to keep our diplomats and their families safe. [ Background Music ] [ Narrator: ] To learn more, visit GAO.gov and be sure to tune in to the next episode of GAO's Watchdog Report for more from the congressional watchdog, the U.S. Government Accountability Office.