	Background

		MODA in Afghanistan and Global Expansion

The MODA program started in Afghanistan in July 2010. Using this authority, DOD  created the Global MODA program. For most of fiscal year 2014,  however, DOD had only 2 advisors abroad in Kosovo and Montenegro for  1-year assignments. For  more information on DOD’s first 2 Global MODA deployments, see app. 2). According to DOD officials, the reasons DOD did not meet its goal of 12  advisors in place by the end of fiscal year 2014 are unique to each of the  countries and advisors selected. These officials noted there can be  delays in the country approval process, or with the recruitment or training  of the advisor. DOD Has Not Met All Legislative Requirements for the MODA Program

The fiscal year 2012 and 2014 NDAAs established requirements for the  Global MODA program, including that DOD (1) obtain concurrence from  the Secretary of State in assigning advisors to foreign ministries of  defense; (2) report annually on activities under the program during the  preceding fiscal year and include 6 elements on the status of the program  in its reports; and (3) update the policy guidance for the MODA program. Specifically, DOD  obtained concurrence on deployments from the Secretary of State, but its  most recent annual report to Congress only included 4 of the 6 required  elements for the Global MODA program, and it has not developed a  policy for the program. DOD Met Most but Not All NDAA Reporting Requirements and Could Provide More Information on the Status of the Program

In the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012, Congress required that DOD’s annual  reports on the status of the MODA program include 6 elements: (1) a list  of the defense ministries to which civilian employees were assigned; (2)  the number of advisors assigned to these ministries; (3) the duration of  the advisors’ assignments; (4) a brief description of the activities carried  out by advisors; (5) a description of the criteria used to select the foreign  defense ministries and civilian advisors for the program; (6) the cost of  each assignment. Additionally, it  did not provide information on the extent to which actual costs compared  with planned funding allocations. While DOD is not required by law to  report on this information, Congress has required DOD to report on the  number, duration, and cost of advisors assigned, and additional  information in these areas beyond what is required could be useful to  Congress. We have also reported that information on a program’s  progress in meeting its objectives, as well as program-level linkages  between resources, strategies, and goals, can be useful to Congress. Such information could help ensure that Congress can  more fully assess the program’s efforts and status. Establish a time frame for updating the required policy for the MODA  program. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, as  amended by the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014, mandated GAO to report on  the effectiveness of the advisory services provided by civilian employees  under the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Ministry of Defense Advisors  (MODA) program. To determine the extent to which DOD met NDAA requirements, we  reviewed the fiscal year 2012 and 2014 NDAAs to identify requirements,  interviewed DOD and State officials, and reviewed DOD and State  documentation, including DOD’s annual reports to Congress.
Why GAO Did This Study

In 2012, Congress authorized DOD to create a program to assign civilian DOD employees as advisors to foreign ministries of defense. DOD created the Global MODA program, an expansion of a program started in Afghanistan in 2010, which partners DOD civilian experts with foreign defense and security officials to build core competencies in key areas such as strategy and policy, human resources management, acquisition and logistics, and financial management. The NDAA, as amended, required that DOD (1) obtain concurrence on the program from the Secretary of State; (2) provide an annual report to Congress including 6 elements on the status of the program; and (3) update the policy for the program. Congress also required GAO to report on the effectiveness of the program.
GAO assessed (1) DOD's progress in expanding MODA globally and (2) the extent to which DOD met NDAA requirements. GAO reviewed MODA program plans, reports, and other documents and interviewed DOD and State officials in Washington, D.C., as well as in Kosovo and Montenegro—the locations to which the first 2 advisors were deployed.

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) has expanded the Global Ministry of Defense Advisors (MODA) program more slowly than planned. It had 2 advisors in the field in Kosovo and Montenegro for most of fiscal year 2014, short of its goal of deploying 12 advisors by the end of fiscal year 2014. DOD deployed advisors to 2 additional countries just before the end of fiscal year 2014 (see figure). According to DOD officials, reasons it has taken longer than expected to expand globally include delays in the country approval process and with advisor recruitment and training.
DOD has met most but not all legislative requirements for the MODA program. As required by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, DOD obtained concurrence on its proposed deployments from the Department of State (State). DOD's most recent annual report to Congress included 4 of the 6 required elements, but did not include information on the cost or duration of each Global MODA deployment, which could help Congress assess the value of the program in relation to other capacity-building efforts (see figure). Additionally, DOD has not provided information on the program's performance, such as linking actual performance to goals. Although DOD is not required by law to include this information, GAO has previously reported that such information can be useful to decision makers. Finally, DOD has not updated the policy for the program as required in the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that DOD (1) include all required information in its annual reports to Congress; (2) consider providing Congress with additional information on the program's performance; and (3) develop a time frame for updating the policy for the MODA program. DOD concurred with these recommendations.