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GAO reviews ‘IED defeat’ office

A government watchdog agency is reviewing the military agency working to defeat the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq.

Buried inside a 113-page Government Accountability Office report is a paragraph that indicates the GAO is looking at the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, a $3 billion-a-year office near the Pentagon charged with finding ways to eliminate the roadside bomb threat in Iraq and elsewhere.

Officials with the secretive organization say they are working hard to achieve their goals but maintain their successes must largely remain a secret, for fear that releasing any information could put troops in jeopardy by revealing potential countermeasures. But their silence has raised eyebrows, at least on Capitol Hill. In response to a separate report from the Senate, the GAO said it will launch a review of the organization.

“The objectives of our ongoing review are to determine whether JIEDDO’s overall management and organizational structure, including funding, personnel, and strategic planning processes, effectively support its mission,” the GAO report said. The agency will also look at the office’s ability to “quickly and effectively identify, develop, test and support technology and training solutions.”

Finally, the GAO will look at how well the roadside bomb defeat agency coordinates with other defense and nondefense agencies to “leverage existing capabilities and prevent duplication of efforts.”

It was not made clear when the agency would begin the investigation or when it would be concluded.

The GAO’s intention to examine the office comes as part of a larger report the agency compiled on the status of the situation in Iraq, issued publicly Tuesday. The report says there are “significant problems” in Iraq that continue to haunt the U.S. as it works to achieve victory there. The report also said military readiness is at risk as a result of operations since September 2001.

“Although [the Defense Department] has overcome difficult challenges in maintaining a high pace of operations over the past five years, extended operations in Iraq and elsewhere have had significant consequences for the U.S. military,” the report said.

The GAO report also took issue with the strategy President Bush articulated in November 2005 called the “National Strategy for Victory in Iraq.”

“Security, political and economic factors continue to hamper U.S. efforts to stabilize Iraq and achieve key U.S. goals,” the report said.