Building Partner Capacity: DOD Should Improve Its Reporting to Congress on Challenges to Expanding Ministry of Defense Advisors Program
Published: 2015-02-11T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: In 2012, Congress authorized DOD to create a program to assign civilian DOD employees as advisors to foreign ministries of defense. DOD created the Global MODA program, an expansion of a program started in Afghanistan in 2010, which partners DOD civilian experts with foreign defense and security officials to build core competencies in key areas such as strategy and policy, human resources management, acquisition and logistics, and financial management. The NDAA, as amended, required that DOD (1) obtain concurrence on the program from the Secretary of State; (2) provide an annual report to Congress including 6 elements on the status of the program; and (3) update the policy for the program. Congress also required GAO to report on the effectiveness of the program.
GAO assessed (1) DOD's progress in expanding MODA globally and (2) the extent to which DOD met NDAA requirements. GAO reviewed MODA program plans, reports, and other documents and interviewed DOD and State officials in Washington, D.C., as well as in Kosovo and Montenegro—the locations to which the first 2 advisors were deployed.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: The Department of Defense (DOD) has expanded the Global Ministry of Defense Advisors (MODA) program more slowly than planned. It had 2 advisors in the field in Kosovo and Montenegro for most of fiscal year 2014, short of its goal of deploying 12 advisors by the end of fiscal year 2014. DOD deployed advisors to 2 additional countries just before the end of fiscal year 2014 (see figure). According to DOD officials, reasons it has taken longer than expected to expand globally include delays in the country approval process and with advisor recruitment and training.
DOD has met most but not all legislative requirements for the MODA program. As required by the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, DOD obtained concurrence on its proposed deployments from the Department of State (State). DOD's most recent annual report to Congress included 4 of the 6 required elements, but did not include information on the cost or duration of each Global MODA deployment, which could help Congress assess the value of the program in relation to other capacity-building efforts (see figure). Additionally, DOD has not provided information on the program's performance, such as linking actual performance to goals. Although DOD is not required by law to include this information, GAO has previously reported that such information can be useful to decision makers. Finally, DOD has not updated the policy for the program as required in the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014.
section_title: What GAO Recommends
paragraphs: GAO recommends that DOD (1) include all required information in its annual reports to Congress; (2) consider providing Congress with additional information on the program's performance; and (3) develop a time frame for updating the policy for the MODA program. DOD concurred with these recommendations.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: In recent years, the Department of Defense (DOD) has emphasized  security cooperation approaches to build the institutional capacity of  foreign partner ministries of defense and to advance the U.S. objective of  international peace and cooperation. For example, strategic guidance  issued by the Secretary of Defense in January 2012 highlighted the  importance of enhancing the defense capacity of foreign partners in order  to share the costs and responsibilities of global leadership. According to  DOD officials, building partner capacity is a way to reduce long-term U.S.  presence while protecting the territory of other nations.
The Ministry of Defense Advisors (MODA) program partners DOD civilian  experts with foreign defense and security officials to build core  competencies in key areas such as strategy and policy, human resources  management, acquisition and logistics, and financial management. The  program began in Afghanistan in July 2010, and Congress authorized the  Secretary of Defense, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to  carry out a program to assign DOD civilian employees as advisors to the  ministries of defense of foreign countries in the National Defense  Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012.
The NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012 mandated GAO to report on the  effectiveness of the advisory services provided by civilian employees  assigned under the program. This report addresses (1) DOD’s progress  in expanding MODA globally and (2) the extent to which DOD met NDAA  requirements. We also have included our observations of the first two  global MODA deployments in appendix II.
To determine what progress DOD has made toward expanding the  MODA program globally, we examined DOD’s goals for the program  outside of Afghanistan, known as the Global MODA program, for fiscal  years 2013 and 2014; interviewed DOD, Department of State (State), and  foreign ministry officials in Montenegro and Kosovo, the two overseas  locations in which Global MODA advisors were deployed for most of fiscal  year 2014; and reviewed DOD documentation, including its budget  estimates, program guidance, and work plans and monthly progress  reports from the first two advisors in the field. To determine the extent to  which DOD met NDAA requirements, we reviewed the fiscal year 2012  and 2014 NDAAs, interviewed DOD and State officials, and reviewed  DOD and State documentation, including DOD’s annual reports to  Congress.
We conducted this performance audit from June 2014 to February 2015  in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives. (See app. I for a more  complete description of our scope and methodology.)
subsections: section_title: Background
subsections: section_title: MODA in Afghanistan and Global Expansion
paragraphs: The MODA program started in Afghanistan in July 2010. DOD developed  it as a result of operational requirements in Afghanistan and an increased  U.S. government emphasis on civilian-led capacity building at the  ministerial level. According to DOD, the program was created to address  past concerns relating to advisory services, including that they were often  carried out on an ad hoc basis, utilizing uniformed or contract  personnel whose functional expertise and advisory skills were not  always well-matched to the socio-cultural working environment.
Since 2010, DOD has deployed over 200 advisors to the Afghanistan  Ministries of Defense and Interior, including about 50 advisors in fiscal  year 2014. DOD has typically deployed these advisors for 1- to 2-year  assignments. DOD plans to deploy about 90 additional advisors to  Afghanistan in fiscal year 2015.
Section 1081 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012, as amended by Section  1094 of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014, provided DOD authority to carry  out a program to assign DOD civilian employees as advisors to the  ministries of defense of foreign countries. Using this authority, DOD  created the Global MODA program. The NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014  extended the program’s authority through fiscal year 2017.
section_title: Global MODA Program Objectives
paragraphs: DOD’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) administers the  MODA program, with support and oversight from the Office of the Under  Secretary of Defense for Policy.
The law authorizes DOD’s civilian advisors to (1) provide institutional,  ministerial-level advice, and other training to personnel of the ministry to  which they are assigned in support of stabilization or post-conflict  activities, and (2) assist the ministry in building core institutional capacity,  competencies, and capabilities to manage defense-related processes.  The policy objective of the Global MODA program is to enhance the  capabilities and capacity of the partner nation’s defense ministry, or the  security agency serving a similar defense function. According to DOD, as  other DOD security cooperation efforts develop partner nation military  units, the institutions required to support them with pay, benefits, and  equipment must be developed as well. MODA is designed to forge long- term relationships that strengthen a partner nation’s defense ministry.  DOD also intends that these efforts support broader U.S. policy goals  promoting positive civil-military relations, respect for human dignity and  the rule of law, international humanitarian law, and professionalized  partner military forces.
section_title: Funding of the Global MODA Program
paragraphs: Funding for the MODA program comes from DOD’s Overseas  Contingency Operations appropriation and annual appropriations for  operations and maintenance.  According to DOD officials, the Overseas  Contingency Operations funding is used solely for Afghanistan and  funding from the annual operations and maintenance appropriation is split  between the Afghanistan and Global MODA programs.
DOD documentation indicates that the department planned to spend  about $3.8 million in fiscal year 2014 on the Global MODA program. This  plan included funds for deployments to 10 countries and training and  travel for the advisors. DOD provided documentation indicating that it  actually obligated about $2.9 million in fiscal year 2014, including just  over $573,000 on advisor deployment costs, a little over $2 million on  training, and around $240,000 on program management and travel.
section_title: Process for Selecting Locations and Deploying Advisors
paragraphs: The process of selecting locations for the Global MODA program and  deploying advisors includes seven components—nominations, initial  screening, requirement development, State concurrence, DOD formal  approval, recruitment, and training and pre-deployment (see fig. 1). While  some of these components must occur in a specific order (e.g., DOD  must obtain State concurrence before it can deploy an advisor), others  may take place concurrently.
section_title: Other Related DOD Defense Institution Building Programs
paragraphs: DSCA operates a number of related defense institution building programs  intended to build partner capacity and support institution building,  including the Defense Institution Reform Initiative and the Warsaw  Initiative Fund. Like the MODA program, the Defense Institution Reform  Initiative provides subject-matter experts to work with partner nations to  assess organizational weaknesses and share best practices for  addressing those shortfalls; according to DOD officials, this may lead to  further exchanges on improving institutional processes and management.
Teams of subject-matter experts visit a country periodically to carry out  long-term projects, such as conducting a strategic review of the defense  sector. The Defense Institution Reform Initiative also focuses on ministry- to-ministry engagement; however, it uses a mix of contractor and civilian  personnel and provides short-term, periodic interaction, while the MODA  program uses only civilians and is intended to provide long-term, daily  interaction. Officials noted that the Warsaw Initiative Fund’s Defense  Institution Building Management Team works with former Soviet bloc  partner nations to provide short-term technical support in countries that  do not have a Defense Institution Reform Initiative presence. According to  DOD officials, the MODA program is intended to complement ongoing  work by the Defense Institution Reform Initiative and the Defense  Institution Building Management Team in nominated countries, and  MODA advisors are expected to work closely with Defense Institution  Reform Initiative and Defense Institution Building Management Team  counterparts.
section_title: Global MODA Expanding More Slowly than Projected
paragraphs: DOD’s actual Global MODA deployments at the end of fiscal year 2014  were significantly less than the goal presented in DOD’s most recent  budget estimates. In its March 2014 budget estimates, DOD stated that it  intended to deploy 12 advisors to countries distributed across the globe  (12 countries) by the end of fiscal year 2014. In its previous budget  estimates, published in April 2013, DOD planned to have 30 advisors in  the field by the end of fiscal year 2014. For most of fiscal year 2014,  however, DOD had only 2 advisors abroad in Kosovo and Montenegro for  1-year assignments. By the end of the fiscal year, DOD had deployed 5  advisors for 1-year assignments to 4 European countries—Kosovo,  Montenegro, Georgia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina (see table 1). For  more information on DOD’s first 2 Global MODA deployments, see app.  II.
In late 2014, DOD began a process to prioritize and allocate resources for  defense institution building activities globally, including potential MODA  program deployments. As a result of this process and new authority in the  fiscal year 2015 NDAA to assign MODA advisors to regional  organizations with security missions, DOD has not finalized plans for the  locations of future deployments. However, DOD has obtained State  concurrence for 4 more countries—Botswana, Indonesia, Ukraine, and  Yemen (see fig. 2).
Although the program has typically deployed advisors on long-term  assignments of a year or more, DOD also sent an advisor to Mongolia in  fiscal year 2014 on a 2-week assignment using MODA authority and  officials stated they plan to send additional short-term advisors in fiscal  year 2015.
According to DOD officials, the reasons DOD did not meet its goal of 12  advisors in place by the end of fiscal year 2014 are unique to each of the  countries and advisors selected. These officials noted there can be  delays in the country approval process, or with the recruitment or training  of the advisor. While DOD stated that the process of selecting a country  and deploying an advisor should take about 6 months, the process for the  first 2 advisors—from the scoping visit to deployment—took over a year.  Delays in deployments have occurred at various stages in the process of  selecting countries and advisors. See Figure 3 for examples of reasons  for delays.
section_title: DOD Has Not Met All Legislative Requirements for the MODA Program
paragraphs: The fiscal year 2012 and 2014 NDAAs established requirements for the  Global MODA program, including that DOD (1) obtain concurrence from  the Secretary of State in assigning advisors to foreign ministries of  defense; (2) report annually on activities under the program during the  preceding fiscal year and include 6 elements on the status of the program  in its reports; and (3) update the policy guidance for the MODA program.  DOD met some, but not all, of these requirements. Specifically, DOD  obtained concurrence on deployments from the Secretary of State, but its  most recent annual report to Congress only included 4 of the 6 required  elements for the Global MODA program, and it has not developed a  policy for the program.
subsections: section_title: DOD Obtained State Concurrence on Deployments
paragraphs: As required in the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012, DOD officials worked with  State to obtain concurrence on MODA deployments. According to State  officials, DOD provides State with a concurrence package that typically  includes an internal DOD action memo seeking final concurrence. The  memo may include an opinion from U.S. officials in the nominated country  and may note which approvals have been obtained within DOD, such as  from the relevant geographic Combatant Command or from the Joint  Staff. The program manager in State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs  then adds an action memo for State reviewers and routes the package to  relevant parties within State.
State’s internal goal is to vet a package within 10 working days, assuming  there is policy agreement. However, if questions or policy disagreements  arise, the vetting process can take longer. When State concurs, officials  will typically send a message to DOD noting this concurrence and  explaining whether its concurrence is conditional on any additional  requirements or revisions to the package.
State officials noted that they are reviewing the concurrence process to  determine where problems may arise and incorporate changes to  streamline the process. For example, they are considering whether DOD  could provide any additional information to facilitate State’s concurrence  process. Additionally, State officials noted that it will be important to share  feedback about existing or completed deployments so that lessons  learned can be incorporated into the concurrence process going forward.  If, for example, State officials in country raise concerns, it would be  important for that feedback to be provided to both DOD and State officials  in headquarters. State and DOD officials noted that they have discussed  some of these potential changes.
section_title: DOD Met Most but Not All NDAA Reporting Requirements and Could Provide More Information on the Status of the Program
paragraphs: In the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012, Congress required that DOD’s annual  reports on the status of the MODA program include 6 elements: (1) a list  of the defense ministries to which civilian employees were assigned; (2)  the number of advisors assigned to these ministries; (3) the duration of  the advisors’ assignments; (4) a brief description of the activities carried  out by advisors; (5) a description of the criteria used to select the foreign  defense ministries and civilian advisors for the program; (6) the cost of  each assignment.
DOD’s most recent annual report to Congress on the MODA program— covering fiscal year 2013—contained 4 of the 6 required elements for the  Global  MODA program. The report contained two main sections—one  on the MODA program in Afghanistan and one on the Global MODA  program. The section on Afghanistan contained all 6 elements, but the  Global MODA section did not include required information on the cost or  assignment duration for the 2 advisors deployed in late fiscal year 2013  (see fig. 4). According to DOD officials, this information was not provided  because DOD had not collected it at the time the report was drafted.
In its reporting to Congress, DOD has provided limited performance  information beyond the required elements in the law. For example, the  2013 annual report listed the number of advisors assigned through the  program, but did not include information on how advisor assignments  compare with overall program deployment goals or provide reasons why  the program has expanded more slowly than anticipated. Additionally, it  did not provide information on the extent to which actual costs compared  with planned funding allocations. While DOD is not required by law to  report on this information, Congress has required DOD to report on the  number, duration, and cost of advisors assigned, and additional  information in these areas beyond what is required could be useful to  Congress. We have previously reported that agencies should consider  the differing information needs of various users to ensure that  performance information will be both useful and used in decision  making. We have also reported that information on a program’s  progress in meeting its objectives, as well as program-level linkages  between resources, strategies, and goals, can be useful to Congress.  Such information could assist Congress as it makes future decisions  about the program.
section_title: DOD Has Not Developed a Policy for the MODA Program
paragraphs: According to DOD officials, DOD does not currently have a policy for the  MODA program. The NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014 required DOD to update  its policy for the MODA program. DOD officials stated that DOD plans to  meet the requirement by providing a broader directive and instruction on  defense institution building, which would include the MODA program.  Officials stated that DOD is in the process of staffing this effort.
In October 2012, the DOD Inspector General reported that MODA  program officials cited the absence of a formal policy on building  ministerial capacity as a factor that impeded their ability to establish a  performance management framework for the MODA program in  Afghanistan. Additionally, in a November 2012 report on the Defense  Institution Reform Initiative, the DOD Inspector General stated that the  absence of a defense institution building policy created programmatic  challenges, including allowing overlapping missions in DOD’s defense  institution building-related efforts.
In June 2012, DOD officials told the Inspector General that they were  drafting a policy for developing and maintaining DOD capabilities to  assess, support, develop, and advise partner nations. More than 2 years  later, the policy still has not been completed. The law did not mandate a  date by which DOD should update the policy. However, standard  practices in program management include, among other things,  developing a plan to execute projects within a specific time frame.
section_title: Conclusions
paragraphs: DOD has increasingly focused on security cooperation activities such as  the Global MODA program to build the defense capacity of foreign  partners and allies. It has met most of its legislative requirements for  reporting to Congress about the program, except the requirements to  include information on the cost and duration of each deployment in its  annual reports. Such information could help ensure that Congress can  more fully assess the program’s efforts and status. Additionally, given that  the program’s current authority expires at the end of fiscal year 2017,  providing a direct linkage between projected and actual advisor  assignments and program expansion goals, as well as between projected  and actual costs—either in its annual reports or in another form—could  increase the transparency of some of the reasons behind the program’s  slower-than-anticipated start. Such linkage could also ensure that  Congress has complete performance information on the status of the  program. Finally, as DOD expands the MODA program to new countries,  it will be important for the program to be guided by a clearly-defined  policy. Given DOD’s stated intent to develop such a policy over 2 years  ago, clarifying the time frame in which it plans to complete it could help to  ensure that it is available for future deployments.
section_title: Recommendations for Executive Action
paragraphs: To help improve implementation and oversight of the MODA program, we  recommend that the Secretary of Defense take the following three  actions:
Take steps to ensure that DOD includes all required elements,  including information on the cost and duration of each Global MODA  advisor assignment, in its future annual reports to Congress.
Consider providing additional performance information to Congress on  the extent to which DOD is achieving its advisor assignments and  program expansion relative to its goals.
Establish a time frame for updating the required policy for the MODA  program.
section_title: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
paragraphs: We provided a draft of this product to the Departments of Defense and  State for comment. DOD provided written comments, which are reprinted  in appendix III. DOD concurred with our recommendations and stated it  will take steps to implement them. DOD also provided technical  comments, which we incorporated as appropriate. State had no  comments.
We are sending copies of this report to the appropriate congressional  committees, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and other  interested parties. In addition, the report is available at no charge on the  GAO website at http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff members have any questions about this report, please  contact me at (202) 512-7331 or johnsoncm@gao.gov. Contact points for  our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found  on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made key contributions to  this report are listed in appendix IV.
section_title: Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology
paragraphs: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, as  amended by the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014, mandated GAO to report on  the effectiveness of the advisory services provided by civilian employees  under the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Ministry of Defense Advisors  (MODA) program. This report addresses (1) DOD’s progress in  expanding the MODA program globally and (2) the extent to which DOD  met NDAA requirements. We have also included our observations of the  first two global MODA deployments in appendix II.
To determine what progress DOD has made toward expanding the  MODA program globally, we identified DOD’s goals for the Global MODA  program—the program outside of Afghanistan—for fiscal years 2013 and  2014, as laid out in DOD’s budget estimates, and compared those goals  with program results for those 2 years. We interviewed DOD, Department  of State (State), and foreign ministry officials in Montenegro and Kosovo,  the two overseas locations in which Global MODA advisors were  deployed for most of fiscal year 2014; and reviewed DOD documentation  including its budget estimates, program guidance, and work plans and  monthly progress reports from the first two advisors in the field. We  identified the steps DOD took to select a location and deploy an advisor  by interviewing DOD and State officials and reviewing DOD and State  documentation, including documentation on DOD’s nomination and  selection process and on State’s concurrence process. Based on this  information, we outlined the process DOD has used for selecting a  location and deploying a Global MODA advisor through its initial  deployments. We reviewed DOD information on its planned spending for  fiscal years 2014 and 2015 and on actual obligations for fiscal year 2014.  With respect to the obligations information, DOD officials noted that it is  difficult to determine the precise amount of obligations for Global MODA  due to the fact that some costs, such as training costs, may include  funding to support the overall MODA program, including the Afghanistan  program. Given the difficulty of obtaining complete and accurate  information on obligations for Global MODA, we present DOD’s identified  obligations in background for context and background purposes only.
To determine the extent to which DOD met NDAA requirements, we  reviewed the fiscal year 2012 and 2014 NDAAs to identify requirements,  interviewed DOD and State officials, and reviewed DOD and State  documentation, including DOD’s annual reports to Congress. To  determine whether DOD met the reporting requirements included in the  NDAA for Fiscal Year 2012, we reviewed the Global MODA section of  DOD’s 2013 annual report to Congress. We determined that a  requirement was “met” if it was fully addressed in the annual report; we  determined a requirement was “partially met” if it was addressed but did  not include all elements of a requirement; and we determined a  requirement was “not met” if it was not included in the annual report.
We conducted this performance audit from June 2014 to February 2015  in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain  sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our  findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that  the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives.
section_title: Appendix II: Observations of the First Two Completed Global MODA Deployments
paragraphs: As of the end of fiscal year 2014, two Global Ministry of Defense Advisors  (MODA) assignments—in Kosovo and Montenegro—were completed.
The first Global MODA program advisor went to Kosovo in August 2013  for a 1-year deployment to assist the Ministry for the Kosovo Security  Force in the area of force development. The goals of the assistance, as  described in the Terms of Reference, included supporting the  implementation of recommendations from Kosovo’s Strategic Security  Sector Review, including restructuring, manning, training, and equipping  the Kosovo Security Force. To work toward this goal, the advisor  reported various activities, such as developing management databases  and formulating force structures for the Kosovo Security Force.
In September 2013, Global MODA deployed an advisor to Montenegro to  help address capacity gaps in the area of logistics and maintenance that  had been identified by a delegation from the Defense Institution Building  Management Team. The delegation assisted in a strategic defense  review that identified several missing pieces in Montenegro’s military  command structure, including the absence of a logistics command. The  MODA Terms of Reference included assisting the Ministry in developing a  national-level maintenance policy and developing a logistics cost  forecasting methodology. To assist the Ministry in building logistics  capacity, the advisor participated in the formation of a logistics battalion  and helped the Ministry to outline an organizational structure for a  logistics command.
We traveled to both locations and interviewed the advisors, Department  of Defense (DOD) and Department of State (State) officials in the U.S.  embassy, and the advisor’s counterparts at the foreign ministries in  Kosovo and Montenegro. We made the following observations of these  first two advisor deployments:  U.S. and Foreign Ministry Officials Were Generally Satisfied with the  First Two Global MODA Advisors: The foreign ministry officials with  whom we spoke in Kosovo and Montenegro expressed satisfaction with  the advising services and welcomed new advisors to continue the  program. Additionally, DOD and State officials in both countries stated  that the advisors had a positive impact on the host ministry and that the  MODA program complemented other U.S. activities in the country.
DOD Adjusted Advisor Reporting Requirements Based on Materials  Submitted by First Two Advisors: DOD has adjusted its advisors’  reporting requirements based on materials submitted by the first two  advisors. Once in country, advisors are required to develop and provide a  work plan to MODA program management. These work plans turn broad  goals established in the Terms of Reference with the host ministry into  specific tasks and objectives. Advisors are also required to report monthly  to MODA program management on their progress toward achieving these  tasks and objectives. The first two advisors’ work plans and monthly  reports differed greatly in terms of length and detail regarding objectives  and activities completed, making it difficult to measure or assess their  performance. To standardize the work plans and reports, DOD has  developed and issued guidance that specifies what the documents  submitted by each advisor should contain. In addition, DOD officials have  said they plan to have subject matter experts from the Defense Institution  Reform Initiative or the Defense Institution Building Management Team  assist the advisors in developing the work plans, and assess the work  plans and reports to ensure that the plans and activities are appropriate to  achieve the established goals.
It Is Important to Maintain Clear Communication Between Advisors  and the U.S. Embassy: Both of the initial advisors were embedded at the  foreign ministry, and DOD and State officials noted that maintaining  regular communications with the embassy is important to ensure that the  advisor’s efforts are consistent with U.S. goals in the country. Officials in  both countries stated that it took some time to determine how the advisor  would work with the U.S. country team. Officials stated that it is important  to have clear expectations about how the advisor will be integrated into  the country team.
Advisors May Be Able to Leverage Other U.S. Security Cooperation  Resources: U.S. and foreign officials in Montenegro were complimentary  of efforts taken by the advisor to leverage DOD’s State Partnership  Program. Through that program, Montenegro had an existing relationship  with the Maine National Guard. The advisor leveraged that program to  organize a logistics training exercise that helped to advance the goal of  forming a logistics battalion. The advisor noted that it took some time to  understand what resources were available to him and having additional  information about other U.S. security cooperation resources upfront could  be helpful to future advisors.
section_title: Appendix III: Comments from the Department of Defense
section_title: Appendix IV: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: GAO Contact
section_title: Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: In addition to the contact named above, Hynek Kalkus (Assistant  Director), Kara Marshall (Analyst-in-Charge), Julia Jebo Grant, Ashley  Alley, Martin De Alteriis, Karen Deans, Jon Fremont, and Emily Gupta  made key contributions to this report.