ISAF's mission in Afghanistan ha shifted from a combat role to focus more on preparing ANSF units to assume lead security responsibility by the end of 2014. A key element in advising and assisting the ANSF is SFA adviser teams, provided by the U.S Army and Marine Corps

Pakistan is central to U.S. efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and deny its resurgence in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region. The United States has sought to secure these interests through counterterrorism and counterinsurgency cooperation with Pakistan as well as through a long-term partnership anchored, in part, by civilian and military assistance. In fiscal years 2002 through 2012, the U.S. government provided the Pakistani government more than $26 billion in assistance and reimbursements toward these goals. To achieve U.S. goals, multiple U.S. agencies provide assistance to...

Created in 2008, CPP was the primary initiative under TARP to help stabilize the financial markets and banking system by providing capital to qualifying regulated financial institutions through the purchase of senior preferred shares and subordinated debt.Under CPP, qualified financial institutions were eligible to receive an investment of between 1 and 3 percent of their risk-weighted assets, up to a maximum of $25 billion. Rather than purchasing troubled mortgage-backed securities and whole loans, as initially envisioned under TARP, Treasury used CPP investments to strengthen financial...

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA) was enacted in November 2001 and required TSA to work with airport operators to strengthen access controls to secure areas, and to consider using biometric access control systems, or similar technologies, to verify the identity of individuals who seek to enter a secure airport area. In response, TSA established the TWIC program in December 2001. TWIC was originally envisioned as a nationwide transportation worker identity solution to be used by approximately 6 million credential holders...

PEPFAR, first authorized in 2003, has supported significant advances in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care in more than 30 countries. In reauthorizing the program in 2008, Congress directed OGAC to continue to expand the number of people receiving care and treatment through PEPFAR while also making it a major policy goal to help partner countries develop independent sustainable HIV programs.

Policymakers are increasingly viewing adaptation as a risk management strategy to protect vulnerable infrastructure that might be affected by changes in the climate. While adaptation measures-such as raising river or coastal dikes to protect infrastructure from sea level rise, building higher bridges, or increasing the capacity of stormwater systems-may be costly, there is a growing recognition that the cost of inaction could be greater. As stated in a 2010 NRC report, even though there are still uncertainties regarding the exact nature and magnitude of climate change impacts, mobilizing now...

Over the last 15 years, the federal government's increasing demand for IT has led to a dramatic rise in the number of federal data centers and a corresponding increase in operational costs. According to OMB, the federal government had 432 data centers in 1998 and more than 1,100 in 2009. Operating such a large number of centers is a significant cost to the federal government, including costs for hardware, software, real estate, and cooling.

Since 1988, DOD has relied on the BRAC process as an important means of reducing excess infrastructure and realigning bases to meet changing force structure needs. The 2005 BRAC round was the fifth round of base closures and realignments undertaken by DOD since 1988, and it was the biggest, most complex, and costliest BRAC round ever. The 2005 BRAC process generally followed the legislative framework of previous BRAC rounds, providing for an independent Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission to review the Secretary of Defense's closure and realignment recommendations, which were...

The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 directed the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the effectiveness of the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) oversight of the use of new technologies to prevent or mitigate the effects of dense, continuous smoke in the cockpit of commercial aircraft. FAA oversees these procedures and technologies as part of its mission to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system. In the initial phase of our research, we determined that there was only one technology that was developed to specifically target dense,...

After a hurricane, assessing damage caused by different perils, such as high winds or flooding, is especially challenging when all that is left after the storm is a structure's foundation. For these properties, there may not be enough physical evidence to determine the extent to which damage was caused by wind versus flooding. Private property-casualty insurers typically cover wind damage but exclude coverage for flood damage. The National Flood Insurance Program, administered by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), provides federally backed...