2: Security Threats and Globalization

Respond to Changing Security Threats and the Challenges of Global Interdependence

Other Information:

GAO’s second strategic goal is to assist the Congress and the federal government in their responses to changing security threats and the challenges of global interdependence. Our specific objectives are to support congressional and federal efforts to: protect and secure the homeland from t „„ hreats and disasters, „„ ensure military capabilities and readiness, „„ advance and protect U.S. foreign policy interests, and „„ respond to the impact of global market forces on U.S. economic and security interests. Over the next 5 years, such threats and challenges are expected to be pronounced. The United States is in a transitional moment, according the President’s 2010 National Security Strategy, and faces a broad array of challenges that require a renewal of American leadership. The complex and rapidly evolving national security environment facing the United States includes cyber attacks, terrorist activities fueled by extremist ideologies, and instability in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as global interdependence—as demonstrated by the recent global financial crisis and economic downturn. Further, the nation’s growing fiscal imbalances—ever-increasing trade deficits, the dependence on foreign capital inflows to finance U.S. spending, and the imbalance between government revenues and spending—will affect the entire federal government as difficult decisions are made about the nation’s priorities. The nation’s security agencies—most prominently, the Departments of Defense (DOD), Homeland Security (DHS), and State—will need to strike an affordable balance between spending on current missions and investing in new capabilities. Today, the three departments and other agencies are attempting to: „„ defeat the terrorist threat in Afghanistan and Pakistan, „„ stabilize Iraq, „„ protect the homeland, „„ curb transnational criminal organizations, „„ ensure the free and lawful flow of people and goods into and out of the homeland, „„ promote international security to reduce conflict, and „„ foster economic growth through stable trade and investment flows. At the same time, federal agencies are attempting to develop new mission capabilities to address emerging threats and the challenges presented by global trends. These trends—population growth, limited natural resources and energy, the emerging economic power of countries such as India and China, transformational technologies, increasing movements of money and people, and climate Change—create great uncertainty and could lead to rapid social, cultural, and geopolitical shifts that result in instability and potential conflict. GAO’s work under Goal 2 can assist the Congress and the federal government in determining the most effective and efficient balance between maintaining current capabilities for national security and developing new capabilities for emerging threats and challenges. DOD, DHS, State, and other national security agencies will also need to enhance basic management capabilities to meet these threats and challenges. For example, all three departments need to strengthen strategic and operational planning, better manage human-capital, improve acquisition and contract management, and focus on results-oriented decision making. For these reasons, DHS is on our list of agencies most in need of broad reform, while several program and management areas at DOD and State are considered high risk due to their vulnerabilities to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. GAO will monitor these agencies’ progress in enhancing their management capabilities and make recommendations to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their operations and services. Finally, federal agencies also need to improve their ability to collaborate on interrelated conventional and emerging threats that often go beyond the authority and scope of any one agency. As a result, overarching strategies and plans will be required to enhance agencies’ abilities to collaborate with each other, as well as with foreign, state, and local governments and nongovernmental partners. The Congress has recently taken steps to strengthen interagency collaboration for international issues, and a number of other commissions, research institutions, and congressionally mandated studies have proposed reforms to parts or all of the national security and foreign policy system to improve interagency collaboration, among other things. GAO’s future work in this area will identify barriers to interagency collaboration, inefficiencies in the use of resources, and duplication of effort, as well as identify tools for ensuring a united effort. To provide timely, quality service to the Congress and the federal government to respond to changing security threats and the challenges of global interdependence, GAO has established four strategic objectives:

Objective(s):

2.1: Homeland Security

2.1.1: Homeland Security

2.1.2: Terrorism-Related Information

2.1.3: Transportation Security

2.1.4: Bborder Security and Immigration

2.1.5: National Emergencies

2.1.6: Catastrophe Insurance and Disaster Loans

2.1.7: Physical and Cyber Infrastructure

2.2: Military

2.2.1: DoD Capabilities

2.2.2: Homeland Security and Irregular Warfare

2.2.3: National Security Collaboration

2.2.4: Human-Capital Management

2.2.5: Weapons Acquisitions

2.2.6: Logistics and Support Infrastructure

2.2.7: Nuclear Weapons

2.2.8: Performance Improvement

2.3: Foreign Policy

2.3.1: International Security Activities

2.3.2: Counterterrorism

2.3.3: Nonproliferation

2.3.4: Foreign Assistance

2.3.5: Multilateral Organizations

2.3.6: Diplomatic Presence and International Activities

2.4: Global Markets and U.S. Interests

2.4.1: World Financial System

2.4.2: International Trade

2.4.3: Global Supplier Base

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