Under the Lead Inspector General framework, the Inspectors General for the Department of Defense, Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development conduct oversight of and report on the overseas contingency operation "Operation Inherent Resolve" (OIR). The mission of OIR is to advise, assist, and enable partner forces until they can independently defeat ISIS in designated areas of Iraq and Syria, in order to set conditions for long-term security cooperation frameworks. The broader counter-ISIS campaign includes supporting the Iraqi government and local Syrian partners with civilian-led stabilization activities. This report also discusses the planned, ongoing, and completed oversight work conducted by the Lead IG agencies and our partner oversight agencies during the quarter.
On January 20, President Donald J. Trump issued an executive order for an immediate 90-day pause on U.S. foreign assistance pending a review of all programs. As a result, most State and USAID foreign assistance programs in Syria and Iraq came to a halt, as did third-party monitoring of these programs. While some State and USAID offices provided information about the status of individual programs, others declined citing the pending issuance of the foreign assistance review final report. The rapid implementation of the pause, reductions in USAID staffing, and inability to communicate directly with implementers led to confusion within USAID regarding which programs were subject to the pause. Guidance about which programs were authorized to request waivers and the information required to apply for those waivers changed frequently. USAID issued guidance on stop-work orders directly to implementers; USAID staff in some cases initially learned about some stop-work orders and terminations from their implementers rather than USAID. In addition, USAID BHA reported that guidance about which programs were authorized to request waivers and the information required to apply for those waivers changed frequently.
State and USAID BHA did not provide information this quarter on the status of its activities pending the final report of the foreign assistance review. USAID’s Middle East Bureau, which administers stabilization awards, reported that as of the end of the quarter, three of its awards continued and eight had been terminated. Five USAID awards had components that supported al-Hol returnees or communities where former al-Hol residents had returned. The assistance pause and terminations of USAID programming further increased pressure on Iraq to repatriate its nationals from the al-Hol and RoJ camps. USAID Syria requested waivers for some terminated awards: essential services activities, support for the White Helmets, and third-party monitoring for activities in northwestern Syria. As of the end of the quarter, no requests for waivers for stabilization activities had been approved.
As of the end of the quarter, 2 USAID stabilization awards in Iraq were active and 20 were terminated. State did not provide updates for the quarter, pending submission of the foreign assistance review on April 20. No third-party monitoring of USAID stabilization programs in Iraq occurred during the quarter because of the foreign assistance pause. The cancelation of the USAID Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) Iraq third-party monitoring contract meant that many implementer activities became inaccessible to USAID staff. However, most implementing partners maintained some oversight, and USAID BHA reported that it will continue to oversee implementer activities through monitoring reports and, when feasible, through occasional site visits by USAID personnel. Ultimately three stabilization awards were terminated, including one through UNICEF that was entirely funded by a third-country donor (gift funds for USAID to manage). A USAID BHA-supported humanitarian organization reported critical service delivery deficiencies at Jeddah 1 to USAID BHA.
Also see the Report-In-Brief.