To determine the Customs Aviation Program’s resources and activities for fiscal years 1992 to 1997, we reviewed congressional appropriations to Customs for the program. To determine the adequacy of the performance measures Customs uses to judge the results of its aviation program efforts, we interviewed officials from Customs and other federal agencies involved in drug control and interdiction and reviewed relevant documents provided by these agencies. Aviation Program Missions: Border Interdiction, Foreign Counterdrug Operations, and Other Law Enforcement Support

Since the establishment of the Customs Aviation Program in 1969, its basic mandate to use air assets to counter the drug smuggling threat has not changed. From fiscal year 1993 to fiscal year 1997, the total number of flight hours for all missions decreased over one-third, from about 45,000 hours to about 29,000 hours, as shown in figure 2. The border interdiction mission is generally accomplished through a four-step process: (1) using DOD or FAA radar or other means, such as failure to file a flight plan with FAA or detection by patrol aircraft, to detect aircraft that are suspected of drug smuggling; (2) dispatching an interceptor aircraft, such as the high-speed, multijet engine Citation II, to physically locate the suspect aircraft and check the aircraft’s registration number through various law enforcement databases to determine whether it has been involved in previous illegal activities; (3) employing tracker aircraft, such as the P-3, to follow the suspect aircraft to its destination; and (4) using a Blackhawk helicopter, which is a military aircraft capable of being staffed with several Customs or other federal, state, or local law enforcement officers, to stop the suspect aircraft when it lands, detain the crew, search the aircraft, and, if appropriate, arrest the suspect(s) for drug smuggling and seize any illegal drugs. In constant or inflation-adjusted dollars, the decrease was 31 percent. Customs Aviation Program Mission Takeoffs Have Decreased

As shown in table 1, the total number of aircraft mission takeoffs decreased from about 22,000 in fiscal year 1992 to about 15,000 in fiscal year 1997. Also, the program’s number of actual personnel decreased by 22 percent, from 956 to 745. The number of aircraft declined about 10 percent between fiscal years 1992 and 1997. Operations and maintenance costs per aircraft flight hour have increased over the last several years. Customs officials said increased costs was one of the reasons they were flying fewer hours per year. Customs’ Aviation Program Is Developing New Performance Measures

Customs currently is developing performance measures to more adequately report the results for its aviation program. However, these performance measures track activity, not results or effectiveness. Customs has also used other measures, such as an air-threat index, in an attempt to measure the results of its aviation program. However, the air-threat index, as well as selected other performance measures, have been discontinued because Customs determined they were not good measures of results and effectiveness. Customs Aviation Program officials told us that one of the primary obstacles to developing meaningful performance measures is that much of the program’s success depends on the actions of other federal departments and state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as the cooperation of foreign government law enforcement agencies. Foreign counterdrug operations in South America began. A recorded menu will provide information on how to obtain these lists.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Customs Service's Customs Aviation Program, focusing on the: (1) program's missions and how they have changed since fiscal year (FY) 1992; (2) annual level of resources and activities since FY 1992; and (3) adequacy of the performance measures Customs uses to judge the results of its aviation program.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) since the establishment of the Customs Aviation Program in 1969, its basic mandate to use air assets to counter the drug smuggling threat has not changed; (2) originally, the Customs Aviation Program had two principal missions: (a) border interdiction of drugs being smuggled by plane into the United States; and (b) law enforcement support to other Customs offices as well as other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies; (3) in 1993, President Bill Clinton instituted a new policy to control drugs coming from South and Central America; (4) because Customs aircraft were to be used to help carry out this policy, foreign counterdrug operations became a third principal mission for the aviation program; (5) since then, the program has devoted about 25 percent of its resources to the border interdiction mission, 25 percent to foreign counterdrug operations, and 50 percent to other law enforcement support; (6) Customs Aviation Program funding decreased from about $195 million in FY 1992, to about $135 million in FY 1997--about 31 percent in constant or inflation-adjusted dollars; (7) while available funds have decreased, operations and maintenance costs per aircraft flight hour have increased; (8) Customs Aviation Program officials said that this increase in costs is one of the reasons they are flying fewer hours each year; (9) from FY 1993 to FY 1997, the total number of flight hours for all missions decreased by over one-third, from about 45,000 hours to about 29,000 hours; (10) the size of Customs' fleet dropped in FY 1994, when Customs took 19 surveillance aircraft out of service because of funding reductions; and the fleet has remained at about 115 since then; (11) the number of Customs Aviation Program onboard personnel has dropped steadily, from a high of 956 in FY 1992 to 745 by the end of FY 1997; (12) Customs has been using traditional law enforcement performance measures for the aviation program; (13) these measures, however, are used to track activity, not results or effectiveness; (14) until 1997, Customs also used an air threat index as an indicator of its effectiveness in detecting illegal air traffic; (15) however, Customs has discontinued using this indicator, as well as selected other performance measures, because Customs determined that they were not good measures of results and effectiveness; and (16) recognizing that these measures were not providing adequate insights into whether the program was producing desired results, Customs is developing new performance measures in order to better measure results.