What We Did:
The objective of this audit was to determine whether U.S. Africa Command, U.S. Indo Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), and U.S. Southern Command officials used Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding to support the coronavirus disease–2019 (COVID 19) pandemic response and operations in accordance with Federal laws and DoD policies. This report focused on USINDOPACOM’s execution of CARES Act funding. We issued a report on the execution of CARES Act funding by the U.S. Africa Command and will issue a report on the U.S. Southern Command. See Appendix A for details on the audit scope and methodology.
What We Found:
USINDOPACOM officials used CARES Act funding to support COVID-19 pandemic response and operations in accordance with Federal laws and DoD policies. Specifically, for the 64 projects reviewed, USINDOPACOM officials used $26.08 million in CARES Act funds to prepare for, prevent, and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, as intended by the CARES Act. USINDOPACOM officials justified the use of CARES Act funds for:
• 23 IT projects, valued at $18.36 million, to obtain secure desktop collaboration tools, audiovisual and video teleconferencing capabilities, and an upgraded phone system. These upgrades were required to help USINDOPACOM personnel social distance and continue operations in a maximum telework environment.
• 41 humanitarian assistance projects, valued at $7.72 million, primarily to provide medical equipment and supplies, hygiene kits and stations, portable toilets, and technical assistance designing field hospitals for communities at high-risk for COVID-19 infection across the Indo-Pacific region.
USINDOPACOM officials justified and accurately accounted for the 64 IT and humanitarian assistance projects we reviewed. The proper execution of USINDOPACOM’s CARES Act funds strengthens the public trust in the DoD’s ability to safeguard taxpayer dollars and provides Congress with greater assurance that CARES Act funds were spent to address DoD requirements and partner nation requests for the COVID-19 pandemic response.
This report is a result of Project No. D2021-D000RH-0142.001.
What We Recommend: