The UN Security Council has authorized five peacekeeping missions in  Haiti since 1993, of which the United States has led two between 1994 and  2004. Estimated Cost of a Hypothetical U.S. Operation Is Twice as High as Ongoing UN Mission

We estimate that it would cost the United States twice as much as the UN to  conduct an operation similar to MINUSTAH. The higher U.S. cost of civilian  police, military pay and support, and facilities account for virtually the  entire difference between our estimate and the MINUSTAH budget, and  reflects the additional cost of ensuring high U.S. standards for training,  troop welfare, and personnel security. Using the same basic parameters of troop  and staff deployment in Haiti for 14 months, we estimated that the United  States would likely budget about $876 million, nearly twice the UN  estimate, for a comparable U.S. peacekeeping operation. Medical support for the military  and civilian personnel on a U.S. operation would cost an estimated $22  million, over four times the UN budgeted cost of $5 million. Alternative Scenarios with Differing Assumptions Could Generate Higher Cost Estimates

Various military and nonmilitary factors can influence the composition of a  peacekeeping operation and thus impact the estimated cost. Further, the addition of nation-building and development assistance  activities to the scope of an operation in Haiti would increase the estimated  cost substantially. We analyzed the potential impact of three principal cost factors by altering  the assumptions of our cost estimate to reflect (1) military forces  comprised entirely of reserve soldiers, (2) deployment of military forces  within the first 60 days of the operation rather than 180 days, and (3) higher  operational tempo (more intensive use of vehicles and equipment). This difference has such a significant impact  because DOD does not include regular pay for active duty troops in the cost  estimates; the department would incur these costs regardless of whether  the troops were deployed in Haiti, the United States, or elsewhere. U.S. and UN Peacekeeping Forces in Haiti Each Have Key Strengths

In addition to cost, other factors would be considered when determining  the most appropriate role of the United States and the UN in conducting  peacekeeping operations. Past U.S. operations in Haiti have benefited from a strong central  communications, command and control structure and a vast military  infrastructure supporting its operations, particularly in terms of troop  deployment, military intelligence, and public information. UN Has Multinational Participation, Extensive Experience, and Structure for Coordinating Nation Building

The UN’s strengths in peacekeeping in Haiti are rooted in the multinational  character of its operation as well as extensive experience with  peacekeeping and related nation building. Agency Comments

We provided a draft of this report to the Departments of Defense and State  and the United Nations for their comment. Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

To compare the cost of a specific United Nations (UN) mission with the  cost that the United States would have incurred had an operation been  deemed in the U.S. national interest and undertaken without UN  involvement, we obtained and analyzed cost data from the UN and the U.S.  Government. The cost  estimate DOD provided included only the incremental costs of the  operation—those directly attributable to the operation that would not  be incurred if the operation did not take place. To identify and assess the strengths of the United States and the UN in  leading peacekeeping operations in Haiti, we obtained and analyzed UN  reports and evaluations relating to MINUSTAH and information on past  U.S.-led operations in Haiti.
Why GAO Did This Study

The UN employs about 85,000 military and civilian personnel in peacekeeping operations in 16 countries. The United States has provided about $1 billion annually to support UN peacekeeping operations. In addition, the United States has led and participated in many such operations. UN reports and congressional hearings have raised concerns about accountability for UN peacekeeping operations and the need for reforms. We were asked to provide information relating to the cost and relative strengths of UN and U.S. peacekeeping. In particular, we have (1) compared the cost of the ongoing UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti with the cost that the United States would have incurred had an operation been deemed in the U.S. national interest and undertaken without UN involvement; (2) analyzed factors that could materially affect the estimated costs of a U.S. operation; and (3) identified the strengths of the United States and the UN for leading the operation. We developed our cost estimate of a U.S.-led operation using cost models from the Departments of Defense and State. The estimate is based on various military assumptions, such as the use of primarily active duty troops. It includes only those costs directly attributable to the operation that would not otherwise be incurred.

What GAO Found

We estimate that it would cost the United States about twice as much as the United Nations (UN) to conduct a peacekeeping operation similar to the current UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (designated "MINUSTAH"). The UN budgeted $428 million for the first 14 months of this mission. A U.S. operation in Haiti of the same size and duration would cost an estimated $876 million, far exceeding the U.S. contribution for MINUSTAH of $116 million. Virtually all of the cost difference is attributable to (1) civilian police, (2) military pay and support, and (3) facilities, and reflects high U.S. standards for police training, troop welfare, and security. Various military and nonmilitary factors can substantially affect the estimated costs of a U.S. operation. We analyzed three military factors: the mix of reserve and active duty troops, the rate of deployment, and the operational tempo. Deploying all reserve troops would increase the cost estimate by $477 million, since it would require paying more reservists a full salary. Deploying troops at a faster rate than the UN--within the first 60 days instead of 180--would cost an additional $60 million. Conducting the operation at a higher tempo--with more intensive use of vehicles and equipment--would increase estimated costs by $23 million. In addition to military considerations, including nation-building and development assistance activities in the scope of the operation would increase the cost significantly. Official donors, including the United States, distributed $382 million for these activities during the first year of MINUSTAH. Cost is not the sole factor in determining whether the United States or the UN should lead an operation, and each offers strengths for this responsibility. U.S.-led operations in Haiti between 1994 and 2004 benefited from a vast military infrastructure, which provided strong communications, command and control, readiness to deploy, tactical intelligence, and public information. The UN's strengths include multinational participation, extensive peacekeeping experience, and an existing structure for coordinating nation-building activities. Complex political considerations are likely to influence decisions about the role of the United States and the UN in peacekeeping.