Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Are Taking Actions to Track Contracts and Contractor Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan Page: 3 of 15
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Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for inviting me here today to discuss ongoing efforts by the
Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State (State), and the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement their
memorandum of understanding (MOU) regarding contracting in Iraq and
Afghanistan. As you know, DOD, State, and USAID have relied extensively
on contractors to support troops and civilian personnel and to oversee and
carry out reconstruction efforts. Contractor personnel in the two countries
have provided a range of services for the three agencies, such as
interpretation, security, weapon systems maintenance, intelligence
analysis, facility operations support, advice to Iraqi and Afghan ministries,
and road and infrastructure construction. The use of contractors in
contingency operations is not new, but the number of contractors and the
work they are performing in Iraq and Afghanistan represent an increased
reliance on contractors to carry out agency missions. While recognizing
the benefits of using contractors, such as increased flexibility, we and
others have noted the risks associated with the increased reliance on
contractors and the challenges that federal agencies have in managing and
overseeing their growing numbers. To help increase contractor oversight,
the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (NDAA
FY2008) established a requirement for DOD, State, and USAID to sign a
MOU regarding matters related to contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan,
including the use of common databases that will provide the three
agencies and Congress with information on contractor personnel and
contracts in Iraq or Afghanistan.' The NDAA FY2008 also directed that we
annually report on DOD, State, and USAID contractor personnel and
contracts in Iraq and Afghanistan each year through 2010.2
My statement today will focus on how information on contracts and
contractor personnel can assist agencies in managing and overseeing their
use of contractors and the status of DOD, State, and USAID's
implementation of the database that collects statutorily required
information on contractor personnel and contracts in Iraq and
Afghanistan. This statement is drawn from our ongoing and prior work
1 Pub. L. No. 110-181, 861, as amended.
2 For our first report issued under this mandate (Pub. L. No. 110-181, 863) see GAO,
Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Contracts and Contractor Personnel
in Iraq and Afghanistan, GAO-09-19 (Washington, D.C.: Oct. 1, 2008). Work on our second
report under the mandate is currently ongoing.GAO-09-538T
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United States. Government Accountability Office. Contingency Contracting: DOD, State, and USAID Are Taking Actions to Track Contracts and Contractor Personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, text, April 1, 2009; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc291065/m1/3/: accessed May 4, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.