According to State, more than 25,000 U.S. government personnel are assigned to 275 U.S. diplomatic posts overseas. These officials represent a number of agencies besides State, such as the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and the Treasury, and the U.S. Agency for International Development, among others. As we reported in 2005, State considers soft targets to be places where Americans and other westerners live, congregate, shop, or visit. In addition to residences and schools, soft targets can include hotels, clubs, restaurants, shopping centers, places of worship, and public recreation events. Travel routes of U.S. government employees are also considered soft targets, based on their vulnerability to terrorist attacks. For the purposes of this report, we focus primarily on U.S. diplomatic residences; we also focus on schools attended by U.S. government dependents and off-compound employee association facilities since such schools and facilities are eligible for State-funded security upgrades. As of the end of fiscal year 2014, the U.S. government leased or owned more than 15,000 residences worldwide, according to State. About 13,000 were residences leased by the U.S. government and located off embassy or consulate compounds, while slightly more than 2,000 were government-owned, most of which were also located off embassy or consulate compounds. With respect to schools, State estimates that there are nearly 250,000 school-age American children overseas, of which approximately 8,000 are U.S. government dependents. State provides assistance to almost 200 “American-sponsored” schools worldwide to help provide quality education for children of U.S. government employees. U.S. government dependents may also attend any other schools preferred by their parents. In addition, State has chartered about 130 employee associations at posts overseas. These associations maintain a variety of facilities, including, among others, retail stores, cafeterias, recreational facilities, and quarters for officials on temporary duty. Some of these facilities are located off embassy or consulate compounds. The vast majority of the facilities are either owned or leased by the U.S. government. According to State, host-country police, security, and intelligence forces are often the first line of defense in protecting U.S. government personnel against potential threats. Additionally, as required by the Omnibus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the heads of other federal agencies, is responsible for developing and implementing policies and programs to protect U.S. government personnel on official duty abroad, along with their accompanying dependents. Responsibility for the security of residences and other soft targets overseas falls primarily on DS and OBO. DS is responsible for, among other things, establishing and operating security and protective procedures at posts, chairing the interagency process that sets security standards, and developing and implementing posts’ residential security programs, which includes providing funding for most residential security upgrades. At posts, DS agents known as RSOs, including deputy RSOs and assistant RSOs, are responsible for protecting personnel and property, documenting threats and residential vulnerabilities, and identifying possible mitigation efforts to address those vulnerabilities. Posts with high turnover of residences or a large number of residences may also have a residential security coordinator on the RSO’s staff to assist with supervision and management of the posts’ residential security programs. RSOs are also responsible for offering security advice and briefings to schools attended by U.S. government dependents and recommending security upgrades to school and employee association facilities. OBO tracks information on State’s real properties, including residences; provides funding for certain residential security upgrades; and funds and manages the Soft Target Program, State’s program for providing security upgrades to schools attended by U.S. government dependents and off-compound employee association facilities. State’s policies are outlined in the FAM and corresponding FAH. Sections of the FAM and FAH relevant to residential security include various subchapters detailing State’s program for residential security, the OSPB residential security standards, and security-related guidance found in the Residential Security Handbook and Physical Security Handbook. In addition, the FAM includes sections that provide guidance about schools that enroll U.S. government dependents and off-compound employee association facilities. See table 1 for further details on selected FAM and FAH policies that are pertinent to securing residences and other soft targets. In addition to these policies, State has produced other guidance documents, such as a matrix that identifies which residential security upgrades DS and OBO, respectively, are responsible for funding and an OBO-drafted cable that outlines the process for requesting security upgrades at schools and employee association facilities. State assesses risks to U.S. diplomatic residences overseas using a range of activities, but many security surveys were not completed for residences we visited. We found that State (1) records and monitors information on overseas residences in its property database, (2) establishes threat levels at overseas posts, (3) develops security standards for residences, and (4) uses these standards to conduct security surveys of residences to identify vulnerabilities. However, 17 of 68 surveys for residences we visited were not completed as required, thereby limiting State’s ability to effectively and efficiently identify and address vulnerabilities. OBO is responsible for maintaining records on all diplomatic residences overseas in its real property database (hereafter referred to as OBO’s property database). OBO’s property database contains data on residences owned and leased by the U.S. government, and includes details such as residence type and address, whether a given residence is leased or owned, the agency affiliation of the occupant, and the acquisition date, among others. DS officials told us that they rely on OBO’s database as their source for such details on residences. As we have previously reported, maintaining accurate and reliable property information has been a long-standing challenge for State. OBO has taken a number of steps to enhance its property data since we first reported on this issue, including hiring dedicated analysts to review and validate data entered at posts and processing budget requests through the property database so that funding requests from posts are linked to the accuracy of the posts’ property data. State also concurred with our June 2014 recommendation that OBO establish a routine process for validating the accuracy of the data in its property database, and we continue to follow up on State’s efforts to implement the recommendation. During this review, we found inaccuracies in the property data for 2 of the 68 residences we visited: in both cases, the residence type listed was incorrect. OBO officials told us that they reached out to the posts where the residences were located and asked them to input the correct information. DS conducts two key activities to help assess risks to residences. First, DS evaluates the security situation at each overseas post by assessing five types of threats—political violence, terrorism, crime, and two classified categories—and assigning corresponding threat levels for each threat type. The threat levels are as follows: critical: grave impact on U.S. diplomats; high: serious impact on U.S. diplomats; medium: moderate impact on U.S. diplomats; and low: minor impact on U.S. diplomats. Threat levels for each post are assessed and updated annually in the Security Environment Threat List. According to DS officials, the bureau develops the list based on questionnaires filled out by post officials, and the final threat ratings are reviewed and finalized through an iterative process involving officials at overseas posts and headquarters. These threat levels are used to determine the security measures required for residences at each post. Second, in consultation with the interagency OSPB, DS develops physical security standards for diplomatic facilities and residences. The residential security standards apply to all residences of U.S. government personnel assigned abroad under chief-of-mission authority. The OSPB standards are published in the FAH and vary by residence type. Specifically, there are separate OSPB standards for six different residence types, one of which is on-compound housing. The remaining five are for off-compound (1) apartments, (2) single family homes, (3) residential compounds, (4) Marine Security Guard residences, and (5) residences for principal officers. OSPB standards also vary by date of construction or acquisition, threat level, and whether they are mandatory. If residences do not meet all applicable mandatory standards, posts are required to request exceptions to the OSPB standards. Within the OSPB standards, we identified six key categories of security standards to protect residences from the threats of political violence, terrorism, and crime. These include (1) an anti-climb perimeter barrier, such as a wall or a fence, and access control; (2) setback from the perimeter; (3) a secure off-street parking area; (4) a secure building exterior with substantial doors and grilled windows with shatter-resistant film; (5) alarms; and (6) a safe space for taking refuge. Figure 1 portrays these six categories at a notional residence. In addition to the OSPB standards, State developed the Residential Security Handbook and Physical Security Handbook, also published in the FAH, which provide detailed supporting information designed to help officials understand how to implement and meet the OSPB standards. According to the FAM, before State can purchase or lease an overseas residence, the RSO must conduct a residential security survey of the property, document all security deficiencies that must be corrected, and approve the purchase or lease of the residence. Off-compound residences must be resurveyed every 5 years, and on-compound residences must be resurveyed every 3 years.