SIGAR

On January 15, 2015, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (“SIGAR”) released a new report, Department of Defense: More Than 75 Percent of All SIGAR Audit and Inspection Report Recommendations Have Been Implemented (“SIGAR Report”).  At 86 pages, the SIGAR Report might be expected to robustly catalogue and analyze how the Department of Defense (“DOD”) implemented the 209 recommendations made by SIGAR from January 2008 through June 2014.  Upon closer examination, however, that does not appear to be the case.  The SIGAR Report provides no definition or explanation of the criteria SIGAR uses to conclude that a recommendation was “implemented,” and it provides scant specifics about whether the outcome of any “implementation” can be seen as a success.
Continue Reading New SIGAR Audit Report Says . . . Very Little

As federal spending for Operation Inherent Resolve surpasses the $1 billion mark, the U.S. military campaign against ISIS forces in Iraq and Syria has a new oversight team.  Late last month, the Honorable Jon T. Rymer, Inspector General for the Department of Defense (“DoD”), was designated lead inspector general (“IG”) for this overseas contingency operation.  Mr. Rymer is the first lead IG designated in response to an amendment to the Inspector General Act (“the Act”).  As required by the Act, he will oversee this mission in conjunction with the Department of State and the Agency for International Development (“AID”) Offices of Inspector General.

In the past, special IG offices have provided oversight to overseas contingency operations, such as the reconstruction efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  These oversight bodies can have positive implications for government contractors performing in these regions.  For instance, as we have discussed previously, a Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (“SIGAR”) report found that the Afghan government levied nearly a billion dollars of tax on contractors supporting the mission in Afghanistan despite bilateral agreements negotiated between the U.S. and Afghan governments that exempted the contractors from at least some of the levied taxes.
Continue Reading First Lead IG Designated Under Amended Inspector General Act