State Department Still Without Internal Watchdog

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February 12, 2013

In the picture above, Secretary of State John Kerry addresses State Department staff and military personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. You may recall the investigation we published last month that raised serious security concerns at the embassy, specifically oversight of the embassy’s private security force.  

We hope Kerry was telling the staff  he would be making the hiring of a permanent inspector general (IG) at the State Department and improving embassy security top priorities.

Effective oversight requires a strong IG, and the State Department leads a group of eight agencies that are without a permanent IG. The State Department has gone a staggering 1,854 days (more than five years) without a permanent IG.

If you think this is as outrageous as we do, add your name to our letter to Secretary Kerry and tell him to strengthen oversight at the State Department.

Image from the U.S. Department of State.

Topics: Government Accountability

Related Content: Embassy Guards, Private Security Contractors, State Department

Authors: Andre Francisco

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