Drug Control: Oversight Needed to Prevent Acquisition of Unnecessary Equipment
NSIAD-92-260
Published: Jul 30, 1992. Publicly Released: Sep 10, 1992.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the procurement and modification of aircraft and other equipment used for drug detection and monitoring, focusing on: (1) whether equipment acquisitions met the Department of Defense's (DOD), the U.S. Customs Service's, and the U.S. Coast Guard's legitimate requirements; and (2) whether the agencies coordinated their acquisitions.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of National Drug Control Policy | To prevent counterdrug funds from being spent unnecessarily on acquisition of detection and monitoring equipment, the Director, ONDCP, should certify that: (1) budget requests to acquire detection and monitoring equipment are based on valid requirements derived from the national drug-threat assessment; and (2) the requirements cannot be met with existing or planned resources in the federal inventory. This certification process should employ, to the extent practicable, the coordination mechanisms already in place via various interagency committees. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Whether ONDCP will act on this recommendation given the extent of its downsizing is doubtful.
|
| Department of Defense | The DOD Coordinator for Drug Enforcement Policy and Support should disapprove all future requests for counterdrug funds for the UC-26C program unless a valid counterdrug requirement for the aircraft is established and the Coordinator's office verifies that the requirement cannot be met with existing or planned assets of either DOD or another interdiction agency. |
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD intends to continually validate the need for the UC 26.
|
| National Guard Bureau | The Chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Commandant of the Coast Guard should declare, respectively, the UC-26C and the EC-130V aircraft excess unless a validated requirement is established. |
Closed – Not Implemented
GAO has not received the Coast Guard's formal response and will not be able to tell what the National Guard plans until they revalidate the requirement. Even then, they don't plan to get rid of the UC-26 as they maintain that it will be used to perform a nondrug mission.
|
| United States Coast Guard | The Chief of the National Guard Bureau and the Commandant of the Coast Guard should declare, respectively, the UC-26C and the EC-130V aircraft excess unless a validated requirement is established. |
Closed – Not Implemented
GAO has not received the Coast Guard's formal response and will not be able to tell what the National Guard plans until it revalidate the requirement. Even then, they don't plan to get rid of the UC-26, as they maintain that it will be used to perform a nondrug mission.
|
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Drug traffickingEquipment managementFederal procurementInteragency relationsLaw enforcementLaw enforcement agenciesMilitary aircraftProcurement policyAircraft acquisition programMilitary forces