FederalDaily - April 18, 2006

FEMA Lacks Adequate Staffing

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) did not have the necessary staff, planning or managerial communication with other government agencies to properly handle the Hurricane Katrina response, according to a recently released internal audit. In a March 2006 report, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found the following weaknesses in FEMA:

• inadequate staffing to respond to disasters;
• reactive rather than proactive planning that relies on field requests;
• inability to coordinate with the Department of Defense to fully utilize military resources.

The report made 38 recommendations to FEMA. For instance, the OIG noted that DHS and FEMA had not yet finalized previously-proposed changes to disaster planning guidelines when Katrina hit. The report also emphasized the need for DHS to ensure FEMA has necessary resources and staffing levels. To read the report, go to www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/OIG_06-32_Mar06.pdf.

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Cost and Schedule Overruns at DoD

The Department of Defense (DoD) has not yet managed to mitigate cost and schedule problems for major weapons programs, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a new report. Though DoD plans to invest $1.3 trillion in the programs between 2005 and 2009, 10 of the 23 programs assessed by GAO expect cost overruns exceeding 30 percent or a delay of more than one year to achieve operational capability. A key problem, the report said, is that 80 percent of reviewed programs did not follow knowledge-based processes that ensure a sound business case prior to development. In addition, DoD did not address gaps discussed by GAO three years ago, particularly the establishment of controls and criteria. GAO recommended that DoD establish measures that programs must meet before proceeding. The report can be found at www.gao.gov/new.items/d06368.pdf.

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Two Air Marshals Convicted of Bribery, Drug Possession

Two federal air marshals pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and bribery of a public official, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on April 3. Shawn Ray Nguyen and Burlie Sholar used their official positions, DOJ said, to bypass security and smuggle cocaine in exchange for monetary payment. Federal authorities, with the help of a cooperating witness, conducted an undercover operation to get Nguyen and Sholar to agree to transport 15 kilograms of cocaine from Los Angeles, Calif., to Las Vegas, Nev., in exchange for $15,000. Each man faces from 10 years to life in prison for the conspiracy conviction, as well as $4 million in fines, and up to 15 years imprisonment for bribery. The sentencing is set for July 10.

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