| B-277053 | GAO/NSIAD-97-164 NATO Expansion | |
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In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD and the Department of State stated that they concurred with the report. DOD's comments are presented in Appendix IV. The Department of State provided its comments verbally. DOD and Department of State officials also provided several technical comments and we have incorporated them into this report. | |
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To address our objectives, we interviewed
officials and gathered and analyzed information from
officials in the Department of State; the Office of the
Secretary of Defense; the Joint Chiefs of Staff; the
Defense Intelligence Agency; the Defense Security
Assistance Agency; the U.S. Mission and Military
Delegation to NATO, Brussels, Belgium; the U.S. European
Command in Germany; the U.S. Atlantic Command, Norfolk,
Virginia; NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium; SHAPE
in Mons, Belgium; U.S. country delegations in Poland, the
Czech Republic, Hungary, and Germany; and recipient
governments in the Czech Republic, Poland, and Hungary,
and Germany, and Denmark. In determining how NATO PFP programs are assisting the six aspiring NATO members that we addressed in our review, we obtained and analyzed information pertaining to PFP program implementation, planning, and budgeting, including the individual partnership plans that NATO has completed with each of the six nations and their responses to NATO interoperability surveys. We used the data in the individual partnership plans to determine (1) the total number of NATO-sponsored PFP events that each country had opted to participate in and (2) the number of such events in each PFP area of cooperation. We then aggregated the results to determine the areas of cooperation the six countries were focusing on as they volunteered for NATO-sponsored PFP events. We also obtained the views of officials concerning PFP performance and its impact on operational capabilities. In reviewing U.S. bilateral assistance projects for PFP partners and aspiring NATO members, we obtained and analyzed information pertinent to U.S. bilateral assistance. Using this data, we analyzed the extent to which the United States is focusing on these countries and the nature of the aid. We also compared the stated purpose of the U.S. programs to the needs of the six countries and NATO's designated cooperation areas. In ascertaining how NATO and member countries' efforts were being coordinated, we analyzed summary information and minutes from NATO's clearinghouse database and reviewed detailed data obtained from other donors of PFP-related aid. In obtaining information on how the six potential members mentioned above are preparing for possible admission into NATO, we obtained and analyzed information on their force structures, participation in NATO exercises, and training requirements to support improved capabilities. We conducted our review between November 1996 and June 1997 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. |
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| We are providing copies of this report to other congressional committees, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense. Copies will be provided to others upon request. | ||
| Please contact me on (202) 512-4128 if
you or your staff have any questions concerning this
report. Major contributors to this report are listed in Appendix V. Sincerely yours,
Harold J. Johnson, Associate Director |
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