Overseas Presence: State and USAID Should Adopt a Comprehensive Plan to Improve the Consolidation of Overseas Support Services

摘要

The Department of State (State) has embassies in about 180 countries, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) maintains missions in about 90 of those countries. At many posts, State and USAID are located on separate compounds and maintain multiple support service operations, such as warehouses. However, the United States is in the process of building new embassy compounds that will collocate all agencies, creating opportunities for greater sharing of services. In September 2004, we recommended that State pursue the elimination of duplicative support structures at overseas facilities. We reviewed (1) the status of State and USAID's joint initiative to consolidate overseas services, and plans for advancing the initiative; and (2) the challenges State and USAID face in these efforts.