Nearly Half of Funds Allocated for TSCTP since 2009 Have Been Disbursed, but TSCTP Program Managers Are Unable to Readily Provide Data on the Status of Funding

U.S. agencies allocated about $288 million for TSCTP between fiscal  years 2009 and 2013, of which they have disbursed slightly less than half. Although State’s Foreign Affairs Manual and federal standards for internal  control note that effective internal management requires financial  information, TSCTP’s managers at State and USAID do not routinely  collect and assess data on the status of funds for TSCTP activities, such  as the amounts of funds unobligated or disbursed—key data that could  help inform their management of the program. Consequently, TSCTP’s program managers may lack the  day-to-day access to financial information that federal standards for  internal control state is required to make operating decisions, monitor  performance, and allocate resources. As the figure demonstrates, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger were the top  three recipients of bilateral funding, collectively accounting for  approximately $106 million of the funds allocated. However,  although agencies have taken steps to (6) leverage their resources and  (7) establish compatible procedures to operate across agency  boundaries, State could do more to integrate Justice into TSCTP  coordination efforts. joint 2014 TSCTP strategy, which also provides a common outcome for  U.S. agencies participating in TSCTP. Examples of these steps include the following:  1. U.S. Agencies Take Steps to Consider Partner Country Needs, Absorptive Capacities, and Other Donor Efforts when Selecting TSCTP Activities

In selecting TSCTP activities, and consistent with the presidential policy  directive on security sector assistance, U.S. agencies conduct a variety of  assessments and meetings to consider partner country needs and  absorptive capacities. For instance,  several officials named the Global Counterterrorism Forum and its Sahel  Working Group as key multilateral venues for sharing information and  insights on the counterterrorism activities of other donor nations. Conclusions

Terrorist groups in northwest Africa continue to pose a national security  threat to the United States. Further, while  State, USAID, and DOD are generally consistent with most key practices  of interagency collaboration in their efforts to implement a whole-of- government approach to TSCTP, the Department of Justice has not been  fully integrated into TSCTP coordination efforts although it has expertise  in building law enforcement capacity—one of TSCTP’s five lines of effort. Second, we recommend that the Secretary of State, in coordination with  the Administrator of USAID and the Secretary of Defense, take steps to  ensure that the Department of Justice is better integrated into TSCTP  coordination efforts. State concurred with our recommendations to take steps to routinely  collect and assess information on the status of funds allocated for TSCTP  and to better integrate the Department of Justice into TSCTP coordination  efforts. Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

To examine the status of Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership  (TSCTP)–related funding and U.S. agencies’ ability to track such funding,  we reviewed relevant laws and other funding documents and asked  officials from the Department of State (State) and the U.S. Agency for  International Development (USAID) to provide data on allocations,  unobligated balances, unliquidated obligations, and disbursements for  TSCTP by country and account for fiscal years 2009 through 2013. To examine the extent to which U.S. agency implementation of TSCTP is  consistent with key practices of interagency collaboration, we collected  and reviewed U.S. government strategy documents, agency reports, and  evaluations to identify and compare agency actions with key practices  GAO has identified for enhancing interagency collaboration. Washington, D.C.: May 9, 2012.
Why GAO Did This Study

Events in northwest Africa—such as al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's seizure of territory in Mali in 2012 and Boko Haram's near-daily attacks in Nigeria—have underscored concerns that the region is vulnerable to the spread of violent extremism. TSCTP, a U.S. multiagency counterterrorism effort begun in 2005, led by State, and primarily coordinated with USAID and DOD, focuses on strengthening partner countries' counterterrorism capabilities and inhibiting the spread of terrorist ideology through diplomacy, development, and security assistance.
This report examines (1) the status of TSCTP-related funding and U.S. agencies' ability to track such funding; (2) the extent to which U.S. agency implementation of TSCTP is consistent with key practices of interagency collaboration; and (3) whether U.S. agencies considered partner country needs, absorptive capacities, and other donor efforts when selecting TSCTP activities. GAO reviewed agency documents, met with key officials in Washington, D.C., and conducted fieldwork at the U.S. Africa Command in Germany and in Algeria, Mauritania, and Niger.

What GAO Found

Nearly half of the funds allocated for the Trans-Sahara Counterterrorism Partnership (TSCTP) since fiscal year 2009 have been disbursed, but TSCTP program managers are unable to readily provide data on the status of these funds. As of late 2013, U.S. agencies reported disbursing nearly $140 million of the approximately $288 million allocated for TSCTP between fiscal years 2009 and 2013. Mali, Mauritania, and Niger were the top three recipients of bilateral funding. Although the Department of State's (State) Foreign Affairs Manual and federal standards for internal control note that effective internal management requires financial information for planning, programming, and performance evaluation, TSCTP's program managers do not routinely collect and assess data on the status of funding for TSCTP, such as the amount of funds unobligated. Consequently, TSCTP's program managers may lack the day-to-day access to financial information that federal standards for internal control state is required to make operating decisions, monitor performance, and allocate resources.
State, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Department of Defense (DOD) actions to implement TSCTP are generally consistent with most but not all of the key practices of interagency collaboration that GAO has identified as important to enhancing collaborative agency efforts. For example, agencies have agreed on their roles and responsibilities, established a joint strategy, and defined a common outcome for TSCTP. However, although agencies have taken steps to leverage their resources and establish compatible procedures to operate across agency boundaries, the Department of Justice has not been fully integrated into TSCTP coordination efforts despite its expertise in building law enforcement capacity—one of TSCTP's five lines of effort.
U.S. agencies have used various means to consider partner country needs, absorptive capacities, and other donor efforts when selecting TSCTP activities. These include assessment reports, meetings with host governments, and bilateral and multilateral outreach to other donors. For example, the United States participates in the Global Counterterrorism Forum, a multilateral venue for sharing information on the counterterrorism activities of other donor nations.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends that the Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID ensure that TSCTP program managers take steps to routinely collect and assess information on the status of funds for TSCTP. GAO also recommends that the Secretary of State take steps to better integrate the Department of Justice into TSCTP coordination efforts. State and USAID both concurred with GAO's recommendations.