Embassy (In)Security
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From Beirut to Benghazi, from Tehran to Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, terrorists time and again have targeted U.S. diplomatic posts abroad. The attacks have tragically exposed weaknesses in embassy security. For years, the Project On Government Oversight has been investigating the issue. In 2009, for example, POGO brought to light lurid images of a breakdown in discipline and evidence of other security deficiencies at the embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. In January 2013, POGO reported that the same embassy was again imperiled by security problems. Herewith, a tour of POGO’s deep dive into diplomatic (in)security. |
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Help UsConsider donating to POGO today so we can continue investigating embassy security and the use of private security contractors. September 12, 2013 Senators Ask State Department To Respond to POGO Report on Embassy Security
Leaders of a Senate panel are asking the State Department to explain how its assurances about security at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan square with a report this week by the Project On Government Oversight documenting problems.
Continue Reading Senators Ask State Department To Respond to POGO Report on Embassy Security Topics: Contract Oversight September 10, 2013 Map Shows State Dept. Official Gave Misleading Testimony to Congress
A top State Department official delivered inaccurate and misleading testimony to a Senate panel in July, when he dismissed concerns about security at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
Continue Reading Map Shows State Dept. Official Gave Misleading Testimony to Congress Topics: Contract Oversight September 10, 2013 By Joe Newman Benghazi Ignored: New Evidence Exposes Gaps in Kabul Embassy Security
The private security force tasked with defending the U.S. Embassy in war-torn Afghanistan has been chronically understaffed, leaving the compound at risk, former guards told the Project On Government Oversight (POGO).
Continue Reading Benghazi Ignored: New Evidence Exposes Gaps in Kabul Embassy Security Topics: Contract Oversight |
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2009 Testimony by Danielle BrianIn 2009, POGO's Executive Director Danielle Brian testified before the Commission on Wartime Contracting about ArmorGroup, the contractor hired to protect the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, and how a lack of proper oversight from the State Department may have jeopardized the security of the embassy. |
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Photos from our 2009 Investigation
In 2009, a POGO investigation revealed security failings at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul that included overworked guards and wild, drunken behavior. During POGO's investigation, about 30 members of ArmorGroup North America came forward with evidence that showed the contractor had allowed a "Lord of the Flies" environment that threatened embassy security. |
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The "Mutiny" Memo
A July 2012 memo from the State Department that says a "mutiny" among private security guards at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul put the embassy "at risk." This memo was part of a January 2013 POGO report on the complaints of guards hired to protect the embassy in Kabul. |
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Lawsuit Filed by Guards from the Kabul Embassy
In January 2013, four former guards at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul filed a class-action lawsuit accusing Aegis Defense Services, the firm hired to protect the embassy, of breach of contract and unjust enrichment. The former guards said Aegis told them to lie about their long hours and "regularly edited employees’ timesheets so that they did not reveal any work beyond the Regular Schedule," according to the lawsuit. |
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Additional Reporting |
Images by: Flickr users DVIDSHUB and Iman Mosaad, the Department of State, Pam Rutter, and Andre Francisco.
