American diplomatic operations in Afghanistan are proving expensive and not necessarily all that efficient.

 

On the cost front, the U.S. embassy in Kabul is being expanded, at a price of more than half a billion dollars. The $511 million project, intended to show America’s long-term commitment to Afghanistan, has employed 500 Afghans and eventually will add another 1,000 locals to the construction payroll. The U.S. government has also signed another $279 million worth of contracts to expand American consulates in Mazar-e Sharif and Herat and to improve other diplomatic facilities in Kabul.

 

Those traveling to the embassy, located in downtown Kabul, must pass by large concrete barriers and numerous armed guards. But the presence of security measures are not an indication that things are as secure as they could be.

 

A report by the State Department’s inspector general revealed numerous problems with contractor ArmorGroup of North America (AGNA). The firm was criticized by the IG for not ensuring the safety of U.S. diplomats in Kabul, and for not properly recruiting or training the security force for the American embassy. AGNA also failed to account for 101 U.S. government-furnished weapons that have been missing since 2007, and it allowed individuals with unknown security status to enter Camp Sullivan, which contains “sensitive materials.”

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

US to Spend $511 Million to Expand Kabul Embassy (by Rahim Faiez, Associated Press)

The Bureau of Diplomatic Security Kabul Embassy Security Force Performance Evaluation (State Department, Inspector General) (pdf)