FAS | Intelligence | GAO Reports |||| Index | Search | Join FAS


Drug Control: Expanded Military Surveillance Not Justified by Measurable Goals or Results

(Testimony, 10/05/93, GAO/T-NSIAD-94-14)


Although the Pentagon has significantly expanded U.S. monitoring and
detection of cocaine smugglers, this expanded capability has come with a
hefty price tag and has yet to reduce the flow of cocaine onto American
streets.  The portion of the federal drug budget earmarked for military
surveillance has quadrupled during the past five years, without
measurable goals or results to show that the increases were warranted.
Decisionmakers have lacked critical information needed to assess the
costs and benefits of military surveillance.  The nation's continuing
failure to reduce the cocaine flow is not an indictment of the
Department of Defense's (DOD) surveillance efforts. But in the absence
of measurable goals for DOD's mission, the fact that cocaine remains
affordable and readily available in the United States strongly suggests
that surveillance is not producing results commensurate with its costs.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  T-NSIAD-94-14
     TITLE:  Drug Control: Expanded Military Surveillance Not Justified 
             by Measurable Goals or Results
      DATE:  10/05/93
   SUBJECT:  Drug trafficking
             Controlled substances
             Search and seizure
             Contraband
             Defense capabilities
             Military operations
             Operations analysis
             Cost effectiveness analysis
             Defense budgets
             Intelligence gathering operations
IDENTIFIER:  Central America
             Mexico
             National Drug Control Strategy
             
------------------------------------------------------------------------

We regret that electronic text of GAO Testimony is not available at 
this time. 

See the GAO FAQ - Section 2.0 for printed copy ordering information.
The FAQ is automatically retrieved with all WAIS search results or 
can be obtained by sending e-mail to: info@www.gao.gov