The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General (IG) yesterday issued its annual report on major management challenges facing the organization, saying that it continues to make progress in strengthening itself to carry out its core missions and become a more effective organization although it continues to face a bevy of performance challenges.
“As a whole, DHS has made progress in coalescing into a more effective organization, establishing policies and procedures to set the groundwork for effective stewardship over its resources but challenges remains,” says the report, Major Management Challenges Facing the Department of Homeland Security (OIG-13-09).
The report breaks out its review of DHS management into two categories, mission areas and accountability issues, saying that organizational progress has been made in both areas while also outlining key challenges that remain.
For example, the IG points to its various reports during the past year describing an array of challenges facing the Transportation Security Administration, including continued vulnerabilities in the screening at checkpoints, of checked baggage and of cargo. The report also notes that since TSA has taken over from the airlines the review of passenger name records prior to the boarding of flights, a system called Secure Flight, passenger screening is more consistent and is also doing a better job at defining security breaches and provide more oversight to track these.
In the area of acquisition management, the IG cites its own and Government Accountability Office reports as saying DHS has improved program governance and its insight into program performance and health as well as developed an initiative to strengthen its acquisition workforce. On the other hand, the report points to persistent procedural challenges, such as Customs and Border Protection’s lack of documentation supporting the analysis that justifies its latest virtual border security fence, the Arizona Border Surveillance Technology Plan.