Inspection of the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

In a period of extraordinary challenges, the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) has a solid record of achievement in Iraq, Afghanistan, and with its other programs. However, INL is, at present, an embattled entity, facing the need to address its overtaxed resources and organizational weaknesses, while drastically reordering its priorities to deal with burgeoning high priority Iraq and Afghanistan programs.

INL must move promptly to restructure itself to deal effectively with its policy-sensitive Iraq and Afghanistan programs. As an interim step, the Office of Inspector General recommended that INL immediately establish individual working groups to manage its programs in Iraq and Afghanistan. INL must also proceed with its long delayed bureau reorganization and needed personnel increases to relieve the evident strains within the bureau caused by long term inadequate staffing and the bureau’s new pressing demands. Particular attention is needed to improve oversight of multi-million dollar contracts. OIG commends the bureau for beginning a program of management assistance visits to narcotics affairs sections to improve operations and assess the adequacy of management controls.

OIG found several areas where INL deserved praise, noting that INL effectively plans and coordinates counternarcotics programs in Latin America, including the Andean Counterdrug Initiative, and has achieved significant progress in strengthening financial management controls. However, in its relationships with other Department of State offices and in the interagency arena overall, the bureau has significant problems. INL must work to repair its image.

Background

Established in 1978, INL develops policies and manages programs to combat international narcotics production and trafficking, combat international crime, and strengthen other nations’ law enforcement and law-based, institutional capabilities outside of the United States. The bureau also provides operational support to the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.

In the past two years, INL’s responsibilities and programs have increased dramatically because of pressing demands to provide police training and law-based assistance programs to Iraq and Afghanistan and to respond to new counternarcotics challenges in Afghanistan. The impact on the bureau has beendramatic. Overall program levels nearly doubled from FY 2003 to FY 2004 (over $2 billion), the consequent demands on an overtaxed staff created significant strains, and the bureau found itself enmeshed in interagency tensions over its capacity to meet the new challenges.

INL has a record of significant achievement. In Iraq, after only two years, the bureau manages abillion dollar program. It has deployed 750 police advisers and trainers and trained over 35,000 Iraqi police. Notably, in less than three months, the bureau established the International Police Center in Jordan that now has two hundred trainers from 16 countries and 100 American trainers turning out 3,000 graduates every eight weeks. In Afghanistan, INL early on identified programs to deal with the raising of the opium poppy and trained 37,000 Afghani police. The $725 million Andean Counterdrug Initiative is crucial in the fight against major Latin American drug producers. INL also provides components to six international peacekeeping operations, including Haiti. The bureau also has ongoing programs focused on international law enforcement training, multilateral cooperation, intellectual property rights, high technology crime, and money laundering/terrorist funding.

Office of Inspector General

The Office of Inspector General’s (OIG’s) mission is to assess Department of State and Broadcasting Board of Governors operations and recommend ways to strengthen their integrity, effectiveness, and accountability.

OIG’s Office of Inspections provides systematic and independent evaluations of the operations of the Department of State, its diplomatic missions abroad, and related activities. Inspections cover policy implementation, resource management, and management controls. As part of the inspection of a diplomatic mission abroad, OIG pays particular attention to consular, security, and information technology operations.

July 25, 2005