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Chemical Weapons:
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Needs Comprehensive Plan to Correct Budgeting Weaknesses
GAO-03-5: Published: Oct 24, 2002. Publicly Released: Oct 24, 2002.
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The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is responsible for implementing the Chemical Weapons Convention, which bans the use of chemical weapons and requires their elimination. The United States and other member states have raised concerns that a number of management weaknesses may prevent the organization from fulfilling its mandate. As requested, GAO assessed the accuracy of the organization's budget and the impact of budget shortfalls on program activities. GAO also reviewed efforts to improve the organization's budget planning.
Since its establishment in 1997, the ability of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to carry out key inspection functions has been hindered by inaccurate budget projections and, more recently, budget deficits. The organization has consistently overestimated its income and underestimated its expenses. Its budgets have recorded as income nearly $1 million in unpaid assessments owed by 30 member states. The budgets have also overestimated reimbursement payments for inspections conducted in member states with chemical weapons-related facilities. As of June, 2002, these states owed the organization more than $2 million. Furthermore, the budgets for 2000 through 2002 underestimated personnel expenses. The organization's inaccurate income and spending estimates contributed to a $2.8 million deficit in 2000 and a potential deficit of $5.2 million in 2002. Weak budgeting practices and budget deficits have affected the organization's ability to perform inspection activities as mandated by the Chemical Weapons Convention. The organization had to reduce the number of inspections it conducted in 2001 and plans to reduce the number it conducts in 2002. Although the organization and the State Department have taken some steps to address the budget problems, the organization has not developed a comprehensive plan to overcome its inherent weaknesses. Unless the organization improves its planning, budget shortfalls will continue to affect its ability to conduct inspections.
Recommendations for Executive Action
Status: Closed - Implemented
Comments: GAO's October 2002 report recommended that the Secretary of State work with representatives of other member states and the Director-General of the OPCW to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the organization's budgetary practices. In commenting on GAO's report, the State Department stated that the OPCW had taken several actions to address this recommendation, including developing better estimates of expenditures, income, and cash flow. The State Department also indicated that it intended to work with the OPCW's Director-General and other member states during 2003, to ensure that a comprehensive response to the organization's financial difficulties was put into place. In a separate December 2002 letter to GAO, the new Director-General of the OPCW stated that the organization was taking several measures to improve its budgeting practices. During a subsequent GAO visit to the OPCW in September 2003 on a related engagement, GAO observed that the organization had implemented a series of actions to improve its budgetary practices as GAO recommended in its 2002 report. Specifically, the OPCW has (1) improved the efficiency of its inspection activities by reducing the size of inspection teams where appropriate, thus lowering daily allowance and travel costs; and (2) revised inspector contracts to reduce staff costs and allow for greater flexibility in assigning inspection teams. In addition, OPCW member states approved a more than six-percent increase in the organization's budget for 2004, to ensure that the OPCW had sufficient funding to accomplish its various missions. According to the Director-General, use of a new results-based budgeting process will increase the effectiveness of the OPCW, enhance the transparency of the budgeting process, and improve budget controls and accountability.
Recommendation: To improve the current budget problems of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the Secretary of State should work with the representatives of other member states and the new Director-General to develop a comprehensive plan to improve the organization's budgetary practices. The plan should outline specific strategies to (1) improve the projection and collection of income, (2) accurately project expenses, and (3) strengthen the role of the Office of Internal Oversight in helping the organization improve its budgeting process. Such a plan would be consistent with the budget recommendations of the Secretariat's oversight bodies.
Agency Affected: Department of State
Status: Closed - Not Implemented
Comments: The State Department believes that existing Congressional reporting to Congress meets the intent of this recommendation.
Recommendation: To ensure that Congress is informed about the status of efforts to improve the OPCW's budgeting practices, the Secretary of State should annually report to Congress on the extent to which the OPCW is correcting its budgeting weaknesses and implementing the recommendations made by the organization's oversight bodies.
Agency Affected: Department of State
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Why it's better than the rest: Gears of War was essentially a new Halo-level event made specifically for the fledgling Xbox 360. Naturally it was backed by an extensive, months-long advertising blitz that culminated in a huge launch day celebration, but all the hoopla was deserved – not only was the single-player game loaded with cinematic "oh shit" moments and fantastically gory chainsaw battles, but it also brought "online co-op" into gamers' vernacular like no console title before. It was the 360 experience, one that took advantage of the hardware's online features and helped create a brand-new, must-have IP at the crucial one-year-old point in the 360's existence.
Legacy: Gears has since spawned a mini merchandise empire full of toys, books and geekily awesome life-size props. It also made slow-paced, deceptively ponderous commercials for M-rated shootouts a bit of a trend:
Above: "Mad World" set a tone that had nothing to do with in-game content, but it sure was an effective commercial
But plastic doo-dads and brilliant TV spots aren't the reason it's on this list - many of the features Gears and Gears 2 popularized (cover shooting, roadie run, horde modes) have been outright stolen and used to death by the games industry at large. It's also become a holiday staple for Microsoft; since 2006, every fall has been led by either a Halo or Gears game, including Gears 3 in 2011. In short, Gears has become second only to Halo in terms of importance to Microsoft and the Xbox brand as a whole, and it didn't get that way by marketing alone – it got there through exquisite and (it's an overused buzzword but it really fits here) viscerally bloodthirsty gameplay.
Why it's better than the rest: Completely unpredictable mayhem. While Gears and every other game on this list may have larger sales and bigger name recognition, L4D trumps them all in terms of sheer gameplay. The innovative "AI director" constantly alters the zombie horde to increase and decrease intensity as you play; if you and your pals run into a car-throwing Tank in one playthrough, he may not be there next time. Or that zombie rush near the beginning of the second chapter may come a little sooner… or later… or not at all. Every session is new and the tension never lets up for a second, creating a game that still feels fresh a hundred hours in. Throw in absolutely flawless controls and you've got the best, most nail-biting co-op experience of modern times.
And when it comes to story, L4D managed to convey a broken, horrific world with nothing but in-game dialog and expertly placed nuances in the environment. No lengthy cutscenes, no hidden journals that fill out a backstory, just banter and scrawling on the wall – and it honestly made a deeper, more believable world than most games this generation.
Legacy: L4D2 released just one year later and added more infected, new weapons, an eclectic new cast and a genius weekly event called "mutation" that altered the way the game was played. One week it's infinite ammo, next week it's something else. Developer Valve has continuously updated both L4D and L4D2 with beefy DLC and new modes that refine the multiplayer experience to near perfection, and continue the "every game is fresh" mentality that made the original so addicting.
Above: Brad's plan is just one of millions the AI Director foiled
Want to casually dabble in L4D? There's still a shockingly strong game to blast through, filled with exciting set pieces and top-notch level design. Want to really tear into it? There's an ocean of co-op strategy to consider, from player formation to timing respawns to equipment and weapon loadouts for a given stretch. And considering Valve's devotion to the series, you can expect near-constant (and often free) updates to a game that's already more than paid for itself. All this from a series that's barely two years old.
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