Department of Defense Commander's Emergency Response Program (CERP): Priorities and Spending in Afghanistan for Fiscal Years 2004-2014
Abstract
The Department of Defense (DOD) created the Commanders Emergency Response Program (CERP) to help military commanders respond to urgent humanitarian relief and reconstruction requirements. Congress appropriated $3.7 billion for CERP between fiscal year (FY) 2004 and FY 2014 and, according to data provided by the DOD, the U.S. military obligated $2.3 billion of these funds as of June 2014. Between FY 2008 and FY2014 alone, Congress appropriated $3 billion in CERP funds; however, only $1.77 billion (59 percent) was obligated. DOD attributes the decline in CERP obligations in this period to a change of mission occurring in FY 2012 that re-focused the US military efforts in Afghanistan toward training, advising, and assisting Afghan forces instead of conducting combat operations. Of the remaining $1.3 billion (41 percent) in unobligated CERP funds appropriated in this period, DOD reported that roughly $659.9 million (52 percent) were reprogrammed for otherpurposes and $609.1 million (48 percent) expired and were returned to the Treasury. In Afghanistan, CERP funds were used to implement projects in all 34 provinces, with a significant portion of these funds used in Kandahar and Helmand Provinces. DOD primarily used CERP funds to support urgent humanitarian and reconstructive projects; transportation; education; agriculture/irrigation; healthcare; water and sanitation; and economic, financial, and management improvements. However, according to data provided by DOD, the largest group of completed CERPprojects lacked specific categorization and remain unknown. Finally, current financial and project management systems used by DOD in tracking CERP projects do not contain sufficient data relating to obligations and disbursements or comprehensive information relating to the actual costs of projects.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 17, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1140151
Entities
People
- John Sopko
Organizations
- Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction