Program Management Review (Phase I) of the Anti-terrorism Assistance Program

The Anti-terrorism Assistance (ATA) program of the State Department is an increasingly important policy tool in the U.S. government’s war against international terrorism. The program enhances the anti-terrorism skills of friendly nations, strengthens bilateral ties, and increases respect for human rights. Since its inception, the program has trained and assisted over 36,000 foreign security and law enforcement personnel from 130 countries.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) reviewed ATA program management responsibilities, the organizational staffing structure of the Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Anti-terrorism Assistance (DS/ATA), and the management controls for weapons acquired for DS/ATA's in-country training programs abroad. OIG found the program successful in meeting the substantial needs for anti-terrorism training since September 11, 2001, but concluded that improvements should be made to ensure that program objectives continue to be achieved. Specifically:

• The respective program responsibilities of State Department's Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism and DS/ATA should be reassessed in view of the program's substantial growth,

• The staffing structure of DS/ATA should be evaluated, to ensure there are sufficient direct-hire personnel to provide long-term stability for the program, and

• DS/ATA needs to confirm complete accountability for all weapons acquired for use in DS/ATA's four overseas, in-country training programs.

Although much anti-terrorism training is provided in the United States, an increasing amount of it is conducted overseas through the ATA program's in-country "Fly-Away" program and the program's in- country training centers in Afghanistan, Colombia, Indonesia, and Pakistan. An ATA training course focuses on one of four functional categories: crisis prevention, crisis management, crisis resolution, and investigations.

Office of Inspector General