Report to Congressional Committees

United States General Accounting Office 

GAO

April 2004 MILITARY 

OPERATIONS 

DOD Needs to Provide 

Central Direction for 

Supporting Coalition 

Liaison Officers 

GAO-04-452 
www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-04-452.

To view the full product, including the scope 

and methodology, click on the link above. 

For more information, contact Neal P. Curtin 

at (757) 552-8100 or curtinn@gao.gov. 

Highlights of GAO-04-452, a report to the 

Chairmen and Ranking Minority Members 

of the Senate and House Committees on 

Armed Services 

April 2004

MILITARY OPERATIONS 

DOD Needs to Provide Central Direction 

for Supporting Coalition Liaison Officers 

GAO could find no evidence that DOD had issued any guidance to combatant 

commanders on how to implement this legislation. In addition, GAO was 

unable to identify an office within DOD that has responsibility for 

implementing this legislation. The DOD Office of the Inspector General, as 

GAO’s focal point within DOD, was also unable to identify a responsible 

office. 

Although the legislation was inspired by the needs of the coalition assembled 

for the Global War on Terrorism, its authority is available through the 

Secretary of Defense to all combatant commanders. According to the results 

of GAO’s research, the combatant commands’ awareness of and need to use 

the legislation varied widely with Central Command being the only 

command using the authority to support liaison officers. 

Awareness and Use of the Legislation by Combatant Commands 

Commands not aware of 

and not needing to use the 

legislation 

Commands aware of but not 

needing to use the 

legislation 

Commands using the 

legislation 

Northern Command Pacific Command Central Command 

Southern Command Joint Forces Command 

European Command Special Operations Command 

Strategic Command 

Transportation Command 

Source: GAO. 

Central Command and MacDill Air Force Base, as the host location for 

Central Command, spent $17 million in fiscal year 2003 to provide 

administrative services and support to more than 300 coalition liaison 

officers from over 60 countries. As allowed by the legislation, the command 

also paid the travel, subsistence, and personal expenses of over 70 of these 

officers from more than 30 developing countries. 

Fiscal Year 2003 Costs by Type of Support Provided to Foreign Coalition Liaison Officers 

Administrative support $14,475,179

Travel and personal expenses 2,582,000

Total costs $17,057,179

Source: Unaudited DOD data analyzed by GAO. 

Central Command officials stated that they could not accomplish the 

coalition integration planning and coordination important to the Global 

War on Terrorism as effectively or efficiently as they are doing without 

the liaison officers. They also commented that the legislation helps 

facilitate the participation of a developing country in the coalition if the 

command can pay for travel and subsistence. 

In the National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 

2003, Congress authorized the 

Secretary of Defense to provide 

administrative services and support 

to foreign coalition liaison officers 

temporarily assigned to the 

headquarters of a combatant 

command or any of its subordinate 

commands. Congress required 

GAO to assess the implementation 

of this legislation. Specifically, 

GAO’s objectives were to 

determine (1) what guidance the 

Department of Defense (DOD) has 

provided on the implementation of 

this legislation, (2) the extent to 

which the commands are aware of 

and are using this legislation, and 

(3) the level of support being 

provided by commands using this 

legislation and the benefits derived 

from it. 

GAO recommends that the 

Secretary of Defense take the 

following two actions: 

(1) designate an office within DOD 

to take responsibility for this 

legislation and (2) direct this 

designated office to promulgate 

and issue guidance on how to 

implement this legislation. 

DOD officials concurred with the 

report in official oral comments. 

DOD stated that it would designate 

the Joint Staff as the office 

responsible for implementing the 

legislation and issuing appropriate 

guidance. 
Page i GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

Letter 1

Results in Brief 2

Background 4

DOD Has Not Issued Guidance to Implement This Legislation 5

Awareness and Use of the Legislation by Combatant Commands 

Vary Widely 5

CENTCOM Support to Liaison Officers Benefits Global War on 

Terrorism 6

Conclusions 9

Recommendations for Executive Action 10

Agency Comments 10

Table 

Table 1: Fiscal Year 2002 and Fiscal Year 2003 Costs by Type of 

Support Provided to Coalition Liaison Officers 9

Abbreviations 

CENTCOM U.S. Central Command 

DOD Department of Defense 

Contents 

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Page 1 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

April 9, 2004 

The Honorable John W. Warner 

Chairman 

The Honorable Carl Levin 

Ranking Minority Member 

Committee on Armed Services 

United States Senate 

The Honorable Duncan Hunter 

Chairman 

The Honorable Ike Skelton 

Ranking Minority Member 

Committee on Armed Services 

House of Representatives 

Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States has been 

fighting a Global War on Terrorism with support from other countries, 

such as Great Britain. The coalition partner countries participating with 

the United States in operations in Afghanistan and Iraq have sent more 

than 300 foreign military personnel to the U.S. Central Command 

headquarters to serve as liaison officers supporting U.S. planning and 

operation efforts. 

In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003,1

 Congress 

authorized the Secretary of Defense to provide administrative services and 

support to foreign coalition liaison officers temporarily assigned to the 

headquarters of a combatant command, a component command, or a 

subordinate operational command.2

 Congress also allowed the Secretary 

to pay for travel, subsistence, and personal expenses of those coalition 

 1

 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003, Public Law 107-314, title XII, 

section 1201, (Dec. 2, 2002). 

2

 A combatant command is a unified command established and so designated by the 

President of the United States with a broad continuing mission under a single commander, 

typically with geographic or functional (e.g., transportation) responsibilities. A component 

command consists of a commander and those forces of a military service assigned to a 

combatant command. A subordinate operational command is established on an area or 

functional basis by a combatant commander to conduct operations. 

United States General Accounting Office 

Washington, DC 20548 
Page 2 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

liaison officers from developing countries.3 These services, support, and 

expenses may be provided with or without reimbursement from or on 

behalf of the receiving coalition liaison officers. Congress required us to 

assess the implementation of this legislation. Specifically, our objectives 

were to determine (1) what guidance, if any, the Department of Defense 

(DOD) has provided on the implementation of this legislation, (2) the 

extent to which the commands are aware of and are using this legislation, 

and (3) the level of support being provided by commands using this 

legislation and the benefits derived from it. 

To address these objectives, we used a data collection instrument to 

gather information from officials serving in the headquarters of combatant 

commands, component commands, and subordinate operational 

commands. This instrument was designed to measure the awareness of the 

legislation among these various commands, to identify the commands 

using the legislation, and to obtain the costs incurred to provide support to 

foreign coalition liaison officers. To assess how the commands are 

implementing this legislation, we visited U.S. Central Command 

headquarters and met with officials who have responsibility for tracking 

costs incurred by foreign coalition liaison officers. As agreed with your 

offices, we did not independently validate the costs incurred by the 

command. We conducted our review from September 2003 through 

January 2004 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 

standards. 

We could find no evidence that DOD has issued any guidance to 

combatant commanders on how to implement this legislation. In addition, 

we were unable to identify an office within DOD that has responsibility for 

implementing this legislation. The DOD Office of the Inspector General, as 

our focal point within the department, was also unable to identify a 

responsible office. 

Although the legislation was inspired by the needs of the coalition 

assembled for the Global War on Terrorism, its authority is available 

through the Secretary of Defense to all combatant commanders. However, 

not all combatant commands were aware of or have a need to use this 

 3

 The term “developing country” as defined by the Organization of Economic Cooperation 

and Development, an international organization to which the United States belongs, is a 

country included in the organization’s list, “Least Developed: Other Low Income and Lower 

Middle Income.” 

Results in Brief 
Page 3 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

legislation. Five of the nine combatant commands were not aware of, nor 

did they have a need to use, the authority in the legislation; three were 

aware of, but had no need to use, the authority; and one, along with one of 

its subordinate commands, was using it to support coalition liaison 

officers. In response to a data collection instrument we created and 

distributed to the combatant commands, representatives from Northern, 

Southern, European, Transportation, and Strategic Commands stated they 

were not aware of the legislation. Representatives from Pacific, Central, 

Joint Forces, and Special Operations Commands stated they were aware 

of the legislation. Central Command and one of its subordinate commands 

were the only commands providing support to coalition liaison officers. 

Central Command, with some of its component and subordinate 

commands, and MacDill Air Force Base, as the host location for Central 

Command, provided administrative services and support to more than 

300 coalition liaison officers from over 60 countries at a cost of about 

$14.5 million in fiscal year 2003. The command also paid travel, 

subsistence, and personal expenses of over 70 of these officers from more 

than 30 developing countries at a cost of about $2.6 million in fiscal year 

2003. The command has established internal operating procedures to 

define what support it will provide and what guidelines, including the use 

of the Joint Federal Travel Regulations, to use in setting appropriate 

spending limits. The command provides office space, furniture, equipment, 

phones, and other administrative support for all coalition liaison officers, 

as well as pays for travel, subsistence, and personal expenses for officers 

from developing countries. Command officials stated that they could not 

accomplish the coalition integration planning and coordination important 

to the Global War on Terrorism as effectively or efficiently as they are 

doing without the liaison officers. They also commented that the 

legislation helps facilitate the participation of a developing country in the 

coalition if the command can pay for travel and subsistence. 

We are recommending that the Secretary of Defense take two actions: 

(1) designate an office within the Department of Defense to take 

responsibility for the legislation and (2) direct this designated office to 

promulgate and issue guidance to implement the legislation. 

In official oral comments on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with the 

report. DOD stated that it would designate the Joint Staff as the office 

responsible for implementing the legislation and issuing appropriate 

guidance. 
Page 4 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

The United States prefers to conduct operations as part of a coalition 

when possible.4

 In prosecuting the Global War on Terrorism, the United 

States, through the U. S. Central Command (CENTCOM), has acted in 

concert with a number of other countries as part of a coalition to conduct 

Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom 

in Iraq.5

 Most of these countries have sent officers to CENTCOM 

headquarters—located at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Florida—to 

act as liaisons between their countries and CENTCOM commanders and 

assist in planning and other operational tasks. 

As coalition liaison officers began arriving to assist in Operation Enduring 

Freedom, CENTCOM officials established a secure area with trailers 

outfitted as offices for the officers to use. As the coalition expanded and 

Operation Iraqi Freedom started, the number of liaison officers grew, as 

did the need for more trailers and administrative support. CENTCOM 

officials initially paid for the support from Combatant Commander’s 

Initiative Funds6

 earmarked for short-term initiatives identified by the 

commander. However, as the coalitions for both operations grew and were 

expected to continue into fiscal year 2003, CENTCOM requested that 

Congress allow the command to use funds from its budget to pay for the 

support provided to the liaison officers. Congress responded in the fiscal 

year 2003 National Defense Authorization Act by authorizing the Secretary 

of Defense to provide administrative services and support to those liaison 

officers of countries involved in a coalition with the United States and to 

pay the travel, subsistence, and personal expenses of those liaison officers 

from developing countries. This legislation expires September 30, 2005. 

The legislation does not direct us to assess whether it should be renewed 

and we did not do so. 

 4

 The National Security Strategy of the United States of America, September 2002. 

5

 The exact number of countries in the coalition is classified. 

6

 Combatant Commander’s Initiative Funds are provided to the combatant commander by 

the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for certain activities authorized by 10 U.S.C. 

section 166a. Joint Chiefs of Staff policy normally precludes using these funds for multiyear 

activities. 

Background 
Page 5 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

Although it is the responsibility of the Secretary of Defense to formulate 

general defense policy and policy related to all matters of direct and 

primary concern to DOD, we could find no evidence of guidance issued by 

DOD to combatant commanders on how to implement the legislation 

allowing DOD to provide support to coalition liaison officers. Also, we 

could not identify any office within DOD that has responsibility for 

implementing the legislation and, therefore, may have promulgated 

guidance on the legislation. Guidance for issues that affect all the 

components originates at the DOD level. Typically, DOD will issue a 

directive—a broad policy document containing what is required to initiate, 

govern, or regulate actions or conduct by DOD components. This directive 

establishes a baseline policy that applies across the combatant commands, 

services, and DOD agencies. DOD may also issue an instruction, which 

implements the policy or prescribes the manner or a specific plan or 

action for carrying out the policy, operating a program or activity, and 

assigning responsibilities. In our opinion, this guidance is important for 

consistent implementation of a program across DOD. 

To determine what guidance has been provided to the commands, we 

contacted offices within DOD, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and 

the Joint Staff to determine which office has responsibility for 

implementing this legislation. After calls to the Offices of Legislative 

Affairs and Comptroller within the Office of the Secretary of Defense, as 

well as the Joint Staff’s Plans and Policy Directorate and Comptroller, 

neither we nor the DOD Inspector General, our focal point within DOD, 

were able to locate any office having this responsibility. 

In the data collection instrument we sent to the combatant commands, we 

asked whether the commands had received any guidance on how to 

implement the legislation. All commands replied that they had received no 

guidance from any office within DOD. 

Although the legislation was inspired by the needs of the coalition 

assembled for the Global War on Terrorism, its authority is available 

through the Secretary of Defense to all combatant commanders. However, 

according to the results of our research, the awareness of and need to use 

the legislation by combatant commands vary widely. To determine the 

extent to which the combatant commands are aware of and using this 

legislation, we created a data collection instrument and e-mailed it to 

representatives at each combatant command. In responding to this 

instrument, representatives from Northern Command, Southern 

Command, European Command, Transportation Command, and Strategic 

DOD Has Not Issued 

Guidance to 

Implement This 

Legislation 

Awareness and Use of 

the Legislation by 

Combatant 

Commands Vary 

Widely 
Page 6 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

Command stated that they were not aware of nor did they have a need to 

use the legislation, while representatives of Joint Forces Command, 

Special Operations Command, and Pacific Command were aware of, but 

had no need to use, the legislation. CENTCOM and one of its subordinate 

commands were the only commands both aware of and using the 

legislation. 

CENTCOM is providing administrative services and support to more than 

300 foreign coalition liaison officers from over 60 countries fighting the 

Global War on Terrorism with the United States.7

 In addition, CENTCOM is 

paying travel, subsistence, and personal expenses to over 70 liaison 

officers from more than 30 developing countries that are included in the 

larger number. 

In the absence of guidance from the Office of the Secretary of Defense or 

the Joint Staff, CENTCOM officials established internal operating 

procedures to provide the administrative and travel related support that 

the foreign coalition liaison officers needed. These procedures are not 

written, but they are based on existing criteria defining developing 

countries, federal regulations governing travel, economies of scale, and 

what appears to be prudent fiscal management. 

In providing administrative services and support, CENTCOM officials 

determined that each country’s delegation (limited to no more than five 

foreign coalition liaison officers) would be provided a trailer for office 

space with furniture, telephone, computer, printer, copier, and shredder. 

Some of the smaller delegations share office space. CENTCOM pays for 

the furniture, shredders, copiers, telephones, and part of the custodial 

expense. MacDill Air Force Base, which is host to CENTCOM, pays for 

trailer leases, utilities, external security, and part of the custodial 

expense.8

 These trailers are located on MacDill property in a fenced 

compound with security guards on duty. We toured some of the trailers 

and determined that CENTCOM was providing the space and equipment 

 7

 The exact number of coalition liaison officers and countries is classified. 

8

 In January, 2004, we reported on the leases MacDill Air Force Base negotiated for the 

trailers used as offices by the coalition liaison officers (Defense Management: Issues in 

Contracting for Lodging and Temporary Office Space at MacDill Air Force Base, 

GAO-04-296, Jan. 27, 2004). In that report, we identified weaknesses in contract 

management that prevented us from assessing why final costs for the trailers were higher 

than originally estimated. 

CENTCOM Support to 

Liaison Officers 

Benefits Global War 

on Terrorism 
Page 7 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

typical of a small office for the coalition officers. However, CENTCOM 

officials told us that some countries have spent their own funds to upgrade 

the office space provided. 

In determining how to pay the travel, subsistence, and personal expenses 

for coalition liaison officers from developing countries, CENTCOM 

officials told us they used existing criteria and federal regulations to guide 

their decisions. Absent a DOD or Department of State list of what would 

be considered developing countries, CENTCOM officials told us they use a 

list of countries generated by the Organization of Economic Cooperation 

and Development, an international organization to which the United States 

belongs, and defined by that organization as “Least Developed: Other Low 

Income and Lower Middle Income.” According to the officials, this list is 

recognized by the Joint Staff. To determine the appropriate amounts to 

provide for travel, subsistence, and personal expenses, CENTCOM 

officials use the Joint Federal Travel Regulations.9

CENTCOM officials established some basic standards for authorizing 

travel, subsistence, and personal expenses for the coalition liaison officers 

from developing countries. CENTCOM pays for one round-trip airplane 

ticket from an officer’s country of origin to Tampa, Florida, where 

CENTCOM is headquartered, and return during a tour of duty. Other trips 

home are at an officer’s or his or her country’s expense. Meals and 

incidental expenses are based on the Joint Federal Travel Regulations’ 

rate for Tampa ($42 per day in fiscal year 2003) paid monthly based on the 

number of days the officer actually spends in Tampa. CENTCOM provides 

housing for foreign coalition liaison officers through contracts it has 

negotiated with gated apartment complexes offering on-site security. 

Because of the number of officers needing housing (including those 

officers not from developing countries, who pay for their own housing), 

CENTCOM officials told us that they were able to negotiate rates for 

housing between $58 and $65 per day, which are less than Joint Federal 

Travel Regulations’ per diem rate for the Tampa area ($93 per day in fiscal 

year 2003). CENTCOM does not pay any expenses incurred for family 

members of the coalition liaison officer who might accompany the officer 

to the United States. In fiscal year 2002, the first year the coalition was 

 9

 The Joint Federal Travel Regulations govern the amount of per diem, travel, and 

transportation allowances that federal government employees can receive when they are 

traveling on official government business. 
Page 8 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

formed, coalition liaison officers had to find their own housing, which was 

more expensive than the contracts currently in place. 

CENTCOM officials also told us that they rent cars for the coalition liaison 

officers from the General Services Administration at a cost of $350 per car 

per month, which is less expensive than renting from a commercial car 

leasing company at a cost of $750 per month. Again, because there are so 

many officers who require transportation, CENTCOM was able to 

negotiate a lower rate. Officers are allowed one car for each three 

members of a delegation. The officer whose name is on the car rental 

agreement is allowed $60 per month for gas. The officers assigned to the 

car must pay for any additional gas. 

CENTCOM and MacDill Air Force Base spent a total of almost $30 million 

between fiscal year 2002 and 2003 to support coalition liaison officers (see 

table 1). In fiscal year 2002, CENTCOM and MacDill Air Force Base spent 

$12.4 million to provide the administrative services and support and pay 

travel, subsistence, and personal expenses for the coalition liaison officers 

assigned to CENTCOM headquarters. The money came from Combatant 

Commander’s Initiative Funds and MacDill Air Force Base funds. The 

amount spent in fiscal year 2003—nearly $17.1 million—included $898,000 

in Commander’s Initiative Funds to pay for travel, subsistence, and 

personal expenses, which was used until the legislation to provide support 

to coalition liaison officers was passed and the funds became available. 

The remaining amount came from CENTCOM and MacDill funds. 

In addition to CENTCOM, the Coalition Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa, a 

CENTCOM subordinate operating command, reported spending over 

$300,000 to provide administrative support and pay travel, subsistence, 

and personal expenses to 13 liaison officers assigned to the task force 

headquarters. No other subordinate operating command or component 

command reported spending funds to support coalition liaison officers. 
Page 9 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

Table 1: Fiscal Year 2002 and Fiscal Year 2003 Costs by Type of Support Provided to Coalition Liaison Officers 

Types of support Fiscal year 2002 Fiscal year 2003

Administrative support 

Infrastructure improvements $232,900 $1,405,600

Trailer leases 490,600 1,000,400

Furniture 300,000 155,000

Command, control, communication, computer, intelligence equipmenta 4,972,698 5,038,779

Command, control, communication, computer, intelligence supportb 4,061,366 5,400,000

Force protection 793,000 956,000

Utilities 207,000 519,000

Miscellaneous one-time costs 136,500 0

Subtotal $11,194,064 $14,475,179

Personal expenses 

Travel $480,000 $1,363,000

Housing and rental vehicles 734,000 1,219,000

Subtotal $1,214,000 $2,582,000

Total $12,408,064 $17,057,179

Source: Unaudited DOD data analyzed by GAO. 

a

 Includes items such as computers, local area networks, servers, and audio-visual dissemination 

systems. 

b

 Includes maintenance, technical support, and repair on equipment. 

CENTCOM officials stated that this legislation has benefited the coalition 

by providing maximum communication and coordination for the 

deployment of those forces committed to fighting the Global War on 

Terrorism. They also stated that without the presence of the liaison 

officers at CENTCOM, they could not accomplish the coalition integration 

planning and coordination important to the Global War on Terrorism as 

effectively or efficiently as they are doing. CENTCOM officials stated that 

the legislation’s authority to pay for travel, subsistence, and personal 

expenses for developing countries’ liaison officers also has given the 

command a tool to use in negotiating with developing countries for their 

participation in the coalition force. 

DOD-wide guidance provides uniform direction throughout the 

department on how to implement programs and policies. While CENTCOM 

has developed procedures for managing support to coalition liaison 

officers and has taken steps to provide the support authorized by the 

legislation in the least costly way, in the absence of DOD-wide guidance, 

Conclusions 
Page 10 GAO-04-452 Military Operations 

there can be no assurance that prudent procedures will always be 

followed. Moreover, without DOD guidance, should other commands 

choose to use the authority granted by this legislation, there is no 

assurance that they will implement it in a uniform and prudent manner. As 

of January 2004, there was no DOD office responsible for the 

implementation of the legislative authority allowing commands to pay for 

support for coalition liaison officers and no DOD-wide guidance on its use. 

We recommend that the Secretary of Defense take the following two 

actions: (1) designate an office within DOD to take responsibility for this 

legislation and (2) direct this designated office to promulgate and issue 

guidance to the combatant commands and their component and 

subordinate commands on how to implement this legislation. 

In official oral comments on a draft of this report, DOD concurred with the 

report. DOD stated that it would designate the Joint Staff as the office 

responsible for implementing the legislation and issuing appropriate 

guidance. 

We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional 

committees; the Secretary of Defense; and the Director, Office of 

Management and Budget. We will also make copies available to others on 

request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on the GAO 

Web site at http://www.gao.gov. 

If you or your staff have any questions, please contact me on 

(757) 552-8100 or by e-mail at curtinn@gao.gov. Major contributors to this 

report were Steven Sternlieb, Ann Borseth, Madelon Savaides, David 

Mayfield, and Renee McElveen. 

Neal P. Curtin 

Director, Defense Capabilities and Management 

Recommendations for 

Executive Action 

Agency Comments 

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