In June 2007, GAO reported that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had made little progress in integrating its existing financial management systems and made six recommendations focused on the need for DHS to define a departmentwide strategy and embrace disciplined processes. In June 2007, DHS announced its new financial management systems strategy, called the Transformation and Systems Consolidation (TASC) program. House Report No. 110-862 directed GAO to determine whether DHS had implemented GAO's prior recommendations. GAO also assessed whether there were additional issues that pose unnecessary risks to the successful implementation of the TASC program. GAO reviewed relevant documentation, such as the January 2009 request for proposal and its attachments, and interviewed key officials to obtain additional information. GAO makes seven recommendations and reaffirms its six prior recommendations to mitigate DHS's risk in acquiring and implementing the TASC program. DHS agreed with GAO's

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.

Financial Management Systems: DHS Faces Challenges to Successfully Consolidating Its Existing Disparate Systems

Financial Management Systems: DHS Faces Challenges to Successfully Consolidate Its Existing Disparate Systems

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Since 2003, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) has been a designated as high risk because DHS had to transform 22 agencies into one dept., and failure to effectively address its mission and mgmt. risks could have serious consequences for national and economic security. This high-risk area includes: challenges in mgmt. functional areas, including acquisition, IT, financial, and human capital mgmt.; the impact of those challenges on mission implementation; and mgmt. integration. This testimony discusses DHS's progress and actions remaining in: (1) implementing its mgmt. functions; (2) integrating those functions and strengthening performance measurement; and (3) addressing the high-risk designation. Illustrations.

Volume 111 of Terrorism: Commentary on Security Documents, Discerning President Obama's National Security Strategy, makes available documents from the first fifteen months of the Obama administration that provide insights into its developing national security strategy. Included are documents that include detailed intelligence estimates and strategies as well as documents that outline important lessons regarding stability and reconstruction in Iraq. Additional documents provide valuable insight into the Obama Administration's Afghanistan and Pakistan Strategy. General Editor Douglas Lovelace, an expert in U.S. military matters, elucidates the complexities of military spending and of counter-insurgency tactics.

Significant management challenges exist for the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) as it continues to integrate its varied management processes, policies, and systems in areas such as financial management and information technology. These activities are primarily led by the Under Sec. for Management (USM). This report examined: (1) the extent to which DHS has developed a comprehensive strategy for management integration that includes the characteristics recommended in a 2005 report; (2) how DHS is implementing management integration; and (3) the extent to which the USM is holding the dept. and component management chiefs accountable for implementing management integration through reporting relationships. Charts and tables.