Objective
Our objective was to determine whether DoD is effectively maintaining facilities at the Joint Training Center (JTC)–Jordan.
JTC is a contingency base occupied by elements of the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF) and Allied partners. There are two types of U.S.-occupied facilities on JTC: JAF-owned facilities and U.S.-built facilities. The U.S. Army Central Support Element–Jordan (ASE-J) pays a monthly utilization fee for the use of the JAF-owned facilities. In March 2016, the ASE-J and JAF entered into an Implementing Arrangement (IA) to the U.S.-Jordan Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement, which outlined reimbursement for maintenance performed by the JAF for the JAF-owned, U.S.-occupied facilities. However, ASE-J personnel stated the IA did not require JAF to provide maintenance to U.S.-built facilities on JTC.
Finding
ASE-J made significant life, health, and safety improvements throughout FY 2016 at the JTC. Specifically, the ASE-J replaced flooring in several housing units, rewired entire housing blocks, and purchased new housing units. However, A SE-J did not adequately coordinate with JAF to ensure U.S.-occupied facilities were effectively maintained at the JTC. Specifically, in the past year, the JTC experienced:
- non-operational street lights,
- holes and soft spots in the floors of the housing units, and
- water leaks in the latrines.
This occurred because, prior to March 2016, no formalized agreement existed between ASE-J and the JAF outlining how maintenance for JAF-owned, U.S.-occupied facilities would be reimbursed by DoD. In addition, ASE-J did not ensure the ASE-J Maintenance Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) contained sufficient detail to effectively maintain U.S.-occupied facilities at the JTC. Further, ASE-J did not develop a mechanism, such as a separate maintenance contract, to maintain U.S.-occupied facilities.
As a result, the health and safety of U.S. military personnel at the JTC are at increased risk. In addition, DoD is at increased risk for paying for repairs it made at the JTC instead of JAF.
Recommendations
We recommended that the Commander, U.S. Army Central Support Element–Jordan:
- amend the existing Maintenance SOP to:
- establish deadlines for repairs based on risk levels;
- require all work orders to be tracked on the maintenance tracker;
- include the method of calculating ASE-J’s costs for repairs;
- include a process for reducing the monthly utilization fee for repairs that JAF does not make; and
- award a maintenance contract to ensure U.S.-occupied facilities at the JTC are effectively maintained.
Management Actions
On April 14, 2016, we informed the ASE-J Commander that insufficient controls existed to effectively maintain both the JAF-owned and U.S.-built facilities at the JTC. Specifically, the Maintenance SOP did not contain sufficient details to effectively report, track, and seek reimbursement for repair requests sent to JAF for JAF-owned facilities. In addition, ASE-J did not have a mechanism in place to address maintenance issues with the U.S.-occupied facilities.
The ASE-J Commander agreed with our observations and immediately initiated steps to implement our suggested corrective actions. The ASE-J amended its Maintenance SOP to include: repair deadlines based on the severity of the issue, maintenance request tracking requirements, and the paperwork and coordination required with the JAF financial representative to adjust the monthly utilization fee. Additionally, ASE-J decided to utilize a Base Life Support contract to maintain all U.S.-occupied facilities, including both the JAF-owned and U.S.-built facilities. This contract, expected to be awarded in August 2016, will provide routine maintenance and address all future deficiencies of all U.S.-occupied facilities at the JTC. The management actions taken during the audit addressed the concerns we identified; therefore, we are not making any additional recommendations.
Figure 1 shows the electrical panel at the JTC dining facility.
This report is a result of Project No. D2016-D000JB-0101.000.