GAO Says DHS Must Further Strengthen Its Management Functions
In testimony before a Senate Subcommittee1, the Government Accountability Office states that the Department of Homeland Security has made progress in implementing its management functions, but additional actions are needed.
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DHS Needs to Strengthen Efforts in IT, Acquisitions, Finance, Human Capital
According to GAO, additional actions are needed to strengthen DHS’s management efforts in information technology, acquisitions, financial management, and human capital. Regarding information technology, GAO states that DHS has undertaken efforts to establish management controls and capabilities, but its progress has been uneven and major information technology programs, such as the SBInet2 virtual fence, have not met capability, benefit, cost, and schedule expectations.
(Note that the report did not mention ACE or touch on other customs-specific issues.)
DHS Working on Previous GAO Recommendations
According to GAO, its testimony contains no new recommendations. GAO has made over 100 recommendations to DHS since 2003 to strengthen its management and integration efforts. DHS has implemented many of these recommendations and is in the process of implementing others.
1The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs’ Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia.
2SBInet is the technology component of a U.S. Customs and Border Protection program known as the Secure Border Initiative, which is to help secure the nation’s borders and reduce illegal immigration through physical infrastructure (e.g., fencing), surveillance systems, and command, control, communications, and intelligence technologies.
(GAO-10-911T, dated 09/30/10)