Audit of State Dept.'s 'High Threat Level Posts' Finds 'Common' Security Deficiencies

    Nine months after the terror attacks at a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, an audit of five "selected high threat level posts" of the State Department by the Office of the Inspector General [OIG] reveals cause for concern.  The report found that the facilities in question failed to comply with current security standards and that "common physical and procedural security deficiencies" were found [emphasis added]:

 The report presents the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) audit of Department compliance with physical and procedural security standards at selected high threat level posts... 

OIG conducted physical security compliance reviews at the five posts and found that posts were not always in compliance with current physical security standards and that common physical and procedural security deficiencies occurred among the posts reviewed.

    In one case, an increase in personnel actually had a detrimental effect on the implementation of the security plan for the post:

OIG also found that the Chiefs of Mission in two of the selected posts used their National Security Decision Directive 38 authority to increase post personnel levels in alignment with their mission strategic plans. However, personnel levels increased beyond or near the compounds’ intended capacities, and at one post, this increase in personnel negatively affected the implementation of the post security program.

    The full report is not yet posted, and the summary does not reveal the location of the five posts under review.  Of the 24 recommendations made in the report to correct deficiencies, ten are closed or resolved, but fourteen remain "unresolved and require further management action before they can be resolved and closed."


Note: A version of this article first appeared at The Weekly Standard.