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entitled 'Olympic Security: Better Planning Can Enhance U.S. Support to 
Future Olympic Games' which was released on June 30, 2006. 

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Report to the Committee on International Relations, House of 
Representatives: 

United States Government Accountability Office: 

GAO: 

June 2006: 

Olympic Security: 

Better Planning Can Enhance U.S. Support to Future Olympic Games: 

Olympic Security: 

GAO-06-753: 

GAO Highlights: 

Highlights of GAO-06-753, a report to the Committee on International 
Relations, House of Representatives. 

Why GAO Did This Study: 

The 2006 Winter Games in Turin, Italy, were the second Olympic Games to 
take place overseas since September 11, 2001. The United States worked 
with Italy to ensure the security of U.S. citizens, and it expects to 
continue such support for future Games, including the 2008 Games in 
Beijing, China. 

GAO was asked to (1) discuss the U.S. approach for providing security 
support for the 2006 Winter Games and how such efforts were 
coordinated, (2) identify the roles of U.S. agencies in providing 
security support for the Games and how they financed their activities, 
(3) review lessons learned in providing security support and the 
application of prior lessons learned, and (4) identify U.S. efforts 
under way for providing security support to the 2008 Beijing Games. 

What GAO Found: 

In 2004, the United States began planning to provide a U.S. security 
presence in Italy and security support to the Italian government, and 
based much of its security strategy on its understanding of Italy’s 
advanced security capabilities. The United States provided Italy with 
some security assistance, mostly in the form of crisis management and 
response support. To coordinate U.S. efforts, the U.S. Mission in Italy 
established an office in Turin as a central point for security 
information and logistics, and to provide consular services to U.S. 
citizens during the Games. The U.S. Ambassador to Italy, through the 
U.S. Consulate in Milan, coordinated and led U.S. efforts in-country, 
while the Department of State-chaired interagency working group in 
Washington, D.C., coordinated domestic efforts. While the interagency 
working group has been a useful forum for coordinating U.S. security 
support to overseas athletic events, State and Department of Justice 
(DOJ) officials have indicated that formal guidance that articulates a 
charter; a mission; and agencies’ authorities, roles, and 
responsibilities would help in planning for security support to future 
Games. 

Nearly 20 entities and offices within several U.S. agencies provided 
more than $16 million for security support activities for the Turin 
Games. The roles of these agencies—which included the Departments of 
State, Justice, Homeland Security, Defense, and Energy—included 
providing crisis management and response support through personnel, 
equipment, and training and providing security advice and other 
assistance to U.S. athletes, spectators, and commercial investors. The 
U.S. Embassy in Rome initially paid for lodging and other 
administrative support needs, which were reimbursed by the 
participating agencies, although it struggled to do so. State and DOJ 
officials indicated that an interagency mechanism for identifying costs 
and addressing potential funding issues would be useful in providing 
U.S. security support to future Games. 

For the Turin Games, agencies applied key lessons learned from the 2004 
Athens Games and identified additional lessons for future Games. Key 
lessons identified from the Turin Games included, the importance of 
establishing an operations center at the location of the Games, 
establishing clear roles and responsibilities for agencies in event 
planning and crisis response efforts, and planning early for several 
years of Olympic-related expenditures. These lessons learned were 
communicated by Washington, D.C.- and Italy-based personnel to their 
counterparts who are preparing for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. 
The United States is currently taking steps to identify the types of 
security support that agencies may provide to support China’s security 
efforts for the 2008 Summer Games and to ensure the safety of U.S. 
athletes, spectators, and commercial investors. 

What GAO Recommends: 

GAO is recommending that the Secretary of State, in consultation with 
members of the interagency working group, (1) develop written guidance 
for providing U.S. government security support to future Games and (2) 
develop a finance subgroup within the interagency working group to help 
agencies plan and prepare for future support. State concurred with 
GAO’s findings and recommendations and stated that it has begun taking 
steps to implement them. 

[Hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov/cgi-bin/getrpt?GAO-06-753]. 

To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on 
the link above. For more information, contact Jess T. Ford at (202) 512-
4128 or fordj@gao.gov. 

[End of Section] 

Contents: 

Letter: 

Results in Brief: 

Background: 

U.S. Security Support Was Based on Italian Security Capabilities, 
Supported by Coordinated U.S. Government Effort: 

Several U.S. Agencies Contributed to Security Support for 2006 Winter 
Games; United States Spent Millions on Security Support Activities, but 
Lacks Formal Mechanism for Coordinating Financial Requirements: 

Security Planning Lessons Learned Were Applied in Turin and Additional 
Lessons Were Identified for the Beijing and Other Future Games: 

Planning Efforts Are Under Way to Identify U.S. Security Support for 
2008 Beijing Games; Efforts Face Unique Challenges: 

Conclusions: 

Recommendations: 

Agency Comments: 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of State: 

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: 

Table: 

Table 1: U.S. Agencies' Roles and the Activities Provided for the 2006 
Winter Games: 

Figures: 

Figure 1: Venue Locations of 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy: 

Figure 2: Timeline of U.S. Security Support Activities for the 2006 
Winter Games: 

Figure 3: Key Agency Expenditures for the 2004 Summer Games and the 
2006 Winter Games: 

Figure 4: Venue Locations for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: 

Abbreviations: 

DCI: data collection instrument: 

DHS: Department of Homeland Security: 

DOD: Department of Defense: 

DOE: Department of Energy: 

DOJ: Department of Justice: 

DS: Bureau of Diplomatic Security: 

FBI: Federal Bureau of Investigation: 

OSAC: Overseas Security Advisory Council: 

TSA: Transportation Security Administration: 

United States Government Accountability Office: 

Washington, DC 20548: 

June 30, 2006: 

The Honorable Henry J. Hyde: 
Chairman: 
The Honorable Tom Lantos: 
Ranking Minority Member: 
Committee on International Relations: 
House of Representatives: 

The 2006 Winter Games[Footnote 1] in Turin, Italy, were the second 
Olympic Games to take place overseas since September 11, 2001, in a 
climate of heightened concerns about international terrorism. A variety 
of factors created a challenging threat environment for the 2006 Winter 
Games, including increased security tension worldwide due to the Iraq 
war; the known presence of Italy-based international terrorist cells; 
past al-Qaeda threats to coalition partners, of which Italy is one; and 
recent terrorist incidents in Europe. Despite such security concerns, 
Italy hosted a safe and secure event with no terrorist incidents. 
Although the host government is responsible for the overall security of 
the Olympic Games, the United States worked with the Italian 
government, in advance of and throughout the Games, to ensure the 
security of U.S. athletes, spectators, and commercial investors. The 
U.S. government expects to continue working with host governments to 
ensure the security of U.S. citizens and interests at future Games, 
including the upcoming 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in Beijing, 
China. 

This report (1) discusses the U.S. approach for providing security 
support for the 2006 Winter Games and how such security efforts were 
coordinated, (2) identifies the roles of U.S. agencies in providing 
security support to the 2006 Winter Games and reviews how they financed 
their activities, (3) reviews lessons learned in providing security 
support and the application of prior lessons learned, and (4) 
identifies U.S. efforts under way for providing security support to the 
2008 Beijing Games. 

To accomplish our objectives, we obtained and reviewed all available 
interagency and agency-specific operations plans for the 2006 Winter 
Games and documentation on the U.S. support provided for the 2006 
Winter Games. In addition, we interviewed officials at the Departments 
of State (State), Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS), Defense 
(DOD), and Energy (DOE), and at certain intelligence agencies, and 
attended interagency coordination meetings. Also, we traveled to Italy 
in November 2005 to observe U.S. planning efforts for providing 
security support to the 2006 Winter Games. While in Italy, we 
interviewed U.S. officials in Rome, Milan, and Turin and met with 
Italian officials in Rome to obtain their perspective on the security 
support provided by the United States. Lastly, we also interviewed an 
official of a U.S. corporate sponsor of the Olympics and participated 
in a security briefing for corporate sponsors to gain their 
perspectives on the security support provided by the United States. 
Appendix I contains additional details on our objectives, scope, and 
methodology. We conducted our review between September 2005 and May 
2006 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing 
standards. 

Results in Brief: 

The U.S. government, led by State, assisted in the protection of U.S. 
athletes, spectators, and commercial investors during the 2006 Winter 
Games in Turin through a U.S. security presence in Italy and security 
support to the Italian government. In October 2004, the United States 
began planning its approach for providing security support to the 2006 
Winter Games. The United States based much of its security strategy on 
its understanding of Italy's security capabilities, gained through its 
counterterrorism and military partnership with the country. On the 
basis of this understanding, the United States provided the Italian 
government with an offer of security assistance in the spring of 2005, 
and the Italian government accepted some of this assistance--mostly in 
the form of crisis management and response support. To support U.S. 
efforts at the 2006 Winter Games, the U.S. government established a 
coordination office in Turin as a central point for security 
information and logistical support, and to provide consular services to 
U.S. citizens during the Games. Security support for the 2006 Winter 
Games was coordinated by the U.S. Embassy in Rome, which delegated the 
coordination of many interagency efforts in-country to the U.S. Consul 
General in Milan. Moreover, these efforts in Italy were supported by a 
State-chaired interagency working group--the International Athletic 
Events Security Coordinating Group--in Washington, D.C., which 
conducted the domestic side of coordinating agencies' contributions to 
the U.S. effort. While the interagency working group has been a useful 
forum for coordinating U.S. efforts in providing security support for 
overseas athletic events, State and DOJ officials have indicated that 
formal guidance that articulates a charter; a mission; and agencies' 
authorities, roles, and responsibilities would help in planning for 
security support to future Games. 

Approximately 20 entities and offices within several U.S. agencies 
provided more than $16 million in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 for 
security support activities for the 2006 Winter Games. The roles of 
these agencies--which included State, DHS, DOD, DOE, and DOJ--included 
crisis management support through personnel, equipment, and training 
and providing security advice and other assistance to U.S. athletes, 
spectators, and commercial investors. U.S. government agencies 
identified specific costs for the Turin Games, including more than $5 
million for travel and lodging expenses for U.S. personnel who were 
temporarily assigned to Turin and about $720,000 for activities 
associated with joint U.S. agency operations, including the 
establishment of an interagency operations center in Turin. Funds 
providing security support to the 2006 Winter Games came from agencies' 
existing accounts over a 2-year period, and agencies did not receive 
specific Olympic-related appropriations. In addition, the reported 
costs do not capture the entirety of costs for supporting the 2006 
Winter Games, particularly the salaries of many U.S. officials who 
worked to support the U.S. effort. The U.S. Embassy in Rome initially 
paid for agencies' shared costs, such as those associated with the 
establishment of a U.S. operations center in Turin, which were later 
reimbursed by the participating agencies. Although the U.S. Embassy in 
Rome paid for lodging and administrative support, it struggled to do 
so, particularly as costs rose due to changing requirements. The 
interagency working group coordinates agencies' support to U.S. efforts 
at these Games, but the group does not have a mechanism for identifying 
costs, coordinating budget requests, and addressing potential funding 
issues for U.S. security support to future Games. State and DOJ 
officials indicated that an interagency mechanism for identifying costs 
and addressing potential funding issues would be useful in providing 
U.S. security support to future Olympic Games. 

Key lessons learned from the 2004 Athens Summer Games were applied in 
the planning efforts for Turin, and additional lessons were identified 
for future Games. These lessons from Athens included the importance of 
planning early for U.S. security support activities; designating key 
U.S. officials to serve as point persons for political, security, and 
logistics arrangements and for the delivery of unified messages; and 
establishing a colocation of intelligence and interagency operations. 
Following the 2006 Winter Games, the U.S. agencies involved with 
providing security support identified a number of additional lessons 
learned, such as establishing a fully equipped, temporary operations 
center at the location of the Olympics if no embassy or consulate is 
nearby; establishing clear roles and responsibilities for U.S. agencies 
in event planning and crisis response efforts; and planning for Olympic-
related costs over several fiscal years. Washington, D.C.-and Italy-
based personnel communicated these lessons learned to their 
counterparts who are preparing for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing. 

State, through the U.S. Mission in Beijing, is taking steps to identify 
the types of security support that the United States may be able to 
provide to support China's security efforts for the 2008 Beijing Games 
and to ensure the safety of U.S. athletes, spectators, and commercial 
investors. For example, in January 2006, a U.S. official was appointed 
to the U.S. mission in Beijing to serve as a U.S. government point 
person on Olympic security with the Chinese government. As of April 
2006, the United States and China were discussing a possible joint 
assessment to identify security needs for the 2008 Beijing Games. 

To enhance future planning for U.S. security support for overseas 
Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are recommending in this report that 
the Secretary of State, in consultation with members of the interagency 
working group--the International Athletic Events Security Coordinating 
Group, develop written guidance for providing U.S. government security 
support to future Games. We are also recommending that the Secretary of 
State, in consultation with members of the interagency working group, 
develop a finance subgroup within the working group to help agencies 
identify and plan for anticipated resource needs, coordinate their 
budget requests, and address potential funding issues for U.S. security 
support to future Games. 

In commenting on a draft of this report, State agreed with our findings 
and recommendations and stated that it is taking steps to begin 
implementing them. State, DOD, and DOJ also provided technical 
comments, which were incorporated where appropriate. 

Background: 

Since the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924, the event has grown from 
258 athletes representing 16 countries to, in the case of the 2006 
Turin Olympics, approximately 5,000 athletes and coaches from 85 
countries. In addition, an estimated 1.5 million spectators and 10,000 
media personnel attended the 2006 Winter Olympic Games. While the 
stated goal of the Olympic movement is "to contribute to building a 
peaceful and better world," its history includes tragedy and terror as 
well. At the 1972 Munich Games, Palestinian terrorists attacked the 
Israeli Olympic team, resulting in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes. 
The 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games were marred by a pipe-bomb explosion 
that killed 1 person and injured 110 others. 

One of the International Olympic Committee requirements for countries 
bidding to host the Games is to ensure the security of the 
participating athletes and spectators, which is an increasingly 
challenging task in today's environment of terrorist threats. According 
to State documents, Italy spent approximately $110 million on security 
operations for the 2006 Winter Games. In addition, the Italian 
government designated 15,000 law enforcement personnel, along with 
military and intelligence support, to provide for overall security for 
the Winter Games. Italy's Ministry of Interior designated the Prefect 
of Turin as the local government authority responsible for providing 
security inside the official venues of the Winter Games. 

Italy faced the challenge of hosting an Olympics amid a heightened 
terrorist threat environment. Al-Qaeda has made threats to coalition 
partners in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past. Moreover, in March 2004, 
a terrorist attack on commuter trains in Madrid, Spain, killed nearly 
200 people, and, in July 2005, a terrorist attack on commuter trains 
and a bus in London, England, killed over 50 people and injured more 
than 700. In addition, there is a known presence of Italy-based 
international terrorist cells and domestic anarchist groups that 
actively target multinational corporations, critical infrastructure, 
and government facilities. Italy has highly advanced antiterrorism 
capabilities and has recently taken additional antiterrorism measures, 
such as enactment of improved antiterrorism laws and increased physical 
security measures. Since 2001, several extremist plots in Milan and 
Rome have been detected and prevented. In addition to these explicit 
terror threats, Italy has faced difficult security challenges at other 
recent major events, such as the meeting of the Group of Eight in Genoa 
in 2001, at which activists clashed violently with Italian police 
forces, and the funeral of Pope John Paul II in April 2005. 

In planning for the 2006 Winter Games, winter conditions presented 
another set of challenges. The Winter Games were located in the remote, 
northwest corner of Italy, with venues spread over an extensive land 
area. Although smaller in scale than the 2004 Athens Summer Games, the 
2006 Winter Olympic venues included mountain locations that were as far 
as 60 miles away from Turin, with limited access routes to these 
mountain sites. (See fig. 1 for locations of venues for the 2006 Winter 
Olympic Games in Turin, Italy.) Locating suitable lodging for U.S. 
security and support personnel near key venues was necessary. 
Furthermore, the distance from the nearest U.S. presence--the U.S. 
Consulate in Milan, which is located about a 90-minute drive from 
Turin--required the establishment of a temporary U.S. post in Turin to 
support U.S. security efforts and serve as a platform for U.S. 
activities. 

Figure 1: Venue Locations of 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

Although the host government has the ultimate responsibility for 
providing security for the Olympics, the United States has a vested 
interest in ensuring the safety of its citizens in all Olympic 
locations. In 2001, the United States began planning its security 
assistance for the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, responding both to the 
heightened worldwide anxiety following the September 11 attacks and to 
Greece's request for international advice on its security plan. Despite 
widespread fears of a potential terrorist attack on the Olympics, 
Greece hosted a safe and secure event with no terrorist incidents. With 
the conclusion of the Athens Games, the United States began planning 
for security support to the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic and Paralympic 
Games. This security support is provided by the United States under 
general executive branch policy guidance and individual agency 
authorities. For example, State officials cited the use of Presidential 
Decision Directive 62, which extends the U.S. counterterrorism policy 
in Presidential Decision Directive 39 to the protection of Americans 
overseas. State is the lead agency for ensuring the protection of 
American citizens overseas. According to U.S. officials in Italy, up to 
20,000 Americans attended the 2006 Turin Olympics daily. 

The next Olympics will be the Summer Games in Beijing, China, August 8 
to 24, 2008; followed by the Paralympics, September 6 to 17, 2008. 
Venues for these Games will be spread out across seven cities in China, 
presenting unique logistical and coordination challenges for security 
support efforts. According to State officials, over 1 million 
spectators are expected to attend the 2008 Beijing Games, including a 
large number of Americans. The next Winter Olympic Games will be held 
in Vancouver, Canada, February 12 to 28, 2010, followed by the 
Paralympics on March 12 to 21, 2010. The close proximity of these Games 
to the United States presents distinctive challenges, such as border 
security issues. In 2012, the United Kingdom will host the Summer 
Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. Past terrorist incidents in 
London and an ongoing terrorist threat climate are likely to present 
security challenges for these Games. 

U.S. Security Support Was Based on Italian Security Capabilities, 
Supported by Coordinated U.S. Government Effort: 

The security support that the United States provided for the 2006 
Winter Games was largely based on an understanding of Italy's advanced 
security capabilities gained through a long-standing, U.S.-Italian 
counterterrorism and military partnership. The U.S. Embassy in Rome led 
the coordinated governmentwide effort--delegating responsibility for 
the coordination of U.S. activities in Turin to the U.S. Consulate in 
Milan--and was supported by a Washington, D.C.-based interagency group. 

U.S. Security Support Informed by an Understanding of Italian Security 
Capabilities, but without a Formal Assessment of Italy's Olympic 
Security Plans: 

Following the Athens Games in the summer of 2004, the United States 
began planning for (1) the security support it would provide to the 
Italian government and (2) the protection of U.S. citizens who would be 
participating in or attending the 2006 Winter Games. In October 2004, 
the United States held a 3-day interagency conference in Milan for 
Italy-and U.S.-based officials who would be working on the 2006 Winter 
Games to share lessons learned from the U.S. effort in Athens and to 
begin determining U.S. security support for Turin. 

The United States largely based its security support approach on its 
understanding of Italian security capabilities, gained from long- 
standing counterterrorism and military relationships with Italy. In 
particular, the United States and Italy have an established partnership 
as members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and, more 
recently, as coalition partners in Iraq. According to U.S. officials, 
the Italian government's sensitivities about formally sharing certain 
information limited the United States' ability to formally assess 
Italy's operational plans for providing security for the 2006 Winter 
Games. Agency officials noted that this made U.S. efforts to plan 
security and emergency contingencies during the Games more difficult. 
However, the U.S. Olympic Security Coordinator and other key officials 
were able to use established relationships with their Italian 
counterparts to develop a working knowledge of Italy's plans and 
capabilities for providing security to the 2006 Winter Games and to 
plan U.S. security efforts. For example, U.S. officials met with their 
Italian security and law enforcement counterparts to receive 
information on Italy's security structure and Olympic security 
integration plan. 

In addition, over several months in 2005, State reported that more than 
20 technical meetings were held between Italian authorities and U.S. 
representatives from the U.S. Mission in Italy and various federal law 
enforcement and intelligence agencies to coordinate bilateral 
cooperation during the Games. Moreover, Italian government 
representatives held meetings in 2005 with representatives from the 
United States and other interested governments to discuss Italy's 
security plans for the Games. For example, in September 2005, the 
Italian government hosted an international seminar on security concepts 
for the management of major sporting events, with law enforcement 
representatives from 11 countries. Furthermore, in October 2005, U.S. 
representatives were invited by the Italian government to observe its 
antiterrorism drills testing the efficiency and response capability of 
the local law enforcement, emergency, and rescue systems in four 
Italian cities. 

On the basis of its understanding of Italy's security capabilities, the 
United States identified specific training and security support that 
could be provided to support Italy's security efforts. In March 2005, 
the Italian government requested a consolidated list of the offers of 
U.S. security assistance, and the interagency working group in 
Washington identified the available sources and capabilities among the 
represented agencies to prevent duplication of efforts. In the spring 
of 2005, this interagency working group provided a comprehensive offer 
of security support for the 2006 Winter Games, comprising a variety of 
specific offers from several U.S. agencies. Italy accepted a number of 
these offers, including crisis management expertise, an assessment of 
Turin's international airport, and mapping assistance. 

In addition to direct security assistance to Italy, the United States 
conducted several exercises to test its own strategies for supporting 
Italy's security efforts and ensuring the protection of U.S. citizens 
during the 2006 Winter Games. In November and December 2005, the United 
States conducted several tabletop exercises to test strategies for 
ensuring the protection of U.S. citizens, including a joint crisis 
management exercise that focused on a theoretical terrorist attack in 
Italy and a crisis management exercise held over several days in Rome, 
Milan, and Turin to test U.S. crisis planning and execution in 
preparation for the Games. Figure 2 provides a timeline of U.S. 
security support activities for the 2006 Winter Games. 

Figure 2: Timeline of U.S. Security Support Activities for the 2006 
Winter Games: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

U.S. Olympic Security Support Was Coordinated by the U.S. Embassy in 
Rome and Supported by Interagency Efforts: 

The U.S. Embassy in Rome--under the leadership of the U.S. Ambassador 
to Italy--led the coordinated interagency efforts in Italy under one 
centralized U.S. government mission. The U.S. Ambassador delegated the 
responsibility for coordinating and overseeing U.S. interagency efforts 
in Turin to the U.S. Consul General in Milan. Located approximately 90- 
minutes away from Turin, the Consulate in Milan oversaw the 
establishment of a temporary U.S. presence in Turin to centralize U.S. 
agency operations and the efforts of key U.S. officials serving as 
designated point persons for coordinating security and logistical 
arrangements. 

To centralize all U.S. activities in Turin leading up to and during the 
Games, the U.S. Mission in Italy established a U.S. Olympic 
Coordination Office in Turin to coordinate U.S. security support 
activities. Under the direction of the U.S. Ambassador and through the 
U.S. Consul General in Milan, this office served as the center for U.S. 
security operations and other activities. In particular, during the 
Games, this office housed a U.S. Olympic command group, comprising 
senior representatives from State, DOD, and the Federal Bureau of 
Investigation (FBI). The U.S. command group was responsible for 
providing--in the event of a request for assistance by the Italian 
government--specialized expertise in a variety of areas, including 
security operations, crisis operations, terrorism investigations, 
consequence management, and intelligence collection and dissemination. 
In addition, this office provided limited consular services to American 
citizens and included a public diplomacy office to liaison with press 
and support VIP visits during the Games. 

U.S. efforts in Italy were supported by a Washington, D.C.-based 
interagency working group--the International Athletic Events Security 
Coordinating Group--which included representatives from the 
intelligence community, State, DHS, DOD, DOE, and DOJ, among 
others.[Footnote 2] Specifically, State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security 
(DS) and Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism serve as 
cochairs of this interagency working group. Chaired by State, the 
interagency working group facilitated and coordinated, on the domestic 
side, agencies' contributions for the 2006 Winter Games. While this 
interagency working group has been a useful forum for coordinating the 
domestic side of U.S. efforts in providing security support to overseas 
athletic events, it operates without written operational guidance and 
without the authority for tasking participating agencies in planning 
for future Olympic Games, according to State and DOJ officials. 
Specifically, the interagency working group does not have a charter or 
mission statement that establishes the roles and responsibilities of 
this group and its members. 

U.S officials from State and DOJ indicated that, although U.S. support 
for Turin was coordinated through the interagency working group, the 
group's lack of clear authority presents confusion over what direction 
and guidance it can provide for U.S. operations in support of future 
Olympic Games. This confusion has impacted the efforts of some 
subgroups formed, in late 2004, by the interagency working group to 
provide guidance in several key areas. For example, of the subgroups 
that focus on logistics, transportation security, law enforcement, and 
intelligence support, only the intelligence support subgroup meets on a 
regular basis. The subgroup for law enforcement support met only a few 
times, in part due to the lack of clearly defined roles and 
responsibilities of participating members. According to a State 
official from DS, the interagency working group relied on U.S. 
officials in Italy to inform the group of what support was needed. The 
same official indicated that clearly defined authorities and 
responsibilities for the group's participating agencies may support the 
implementation of effective subgroups in the future. In addition, DS 
established a major events coordination unit after the 2004 Athens 
Summer Games, in part to coordinate U.S. security support for major 
sporting events overseas, according to a State official. However, this 
unit does not have written guidance for implementing coordination 
responsibilities for future Olympic events and other major sporting 
events.[Footnote 3] Without formal guidance, planning for future 
Olympic events could be complicated, as roles and responsibilities will 
have to be redefined on a case-by-case basis. Moreover, given the 
regular turnover of key staff, such written guidance could facilitate 
the continuity of future planning efforts. 

To plan and coordinate U.S. security support operations, State and DOJ 
officials in Turin worked closely with representatives from the 
interagency working group. However, these officials in Turin 
experienced difficulties in planning for interagency operations, in 
part due to problems in obtaining timely information and decisions from 
the agencies. For example, State and DOJ officials had difficulty 
identifying requirements for operations, such as space and 
classification requirements, due to communication challenges with the 
interagency community in Washington. According to State officials in 
Italy and Washington, the lack of proper communication capabilities in 
the U.S. Olympic Coordination Office in Turin made it difficult to 
obtain timely information from the agencies. The interagency working 
group worked to coordinate responses to these officials in Turin. 
However, State and FBI officials in Turin indicated that many of the 
agencies did not fully understand the communication infrastructure and 
logistical requirements until they sent representatives to Turin in the 
fall of 2005. FBI officials have stated that although the interagency 
working group works to support the needs of the U.S. effort overseas, 
it has no authority to task agencies to meet deadlines, which leads to 
confusion over what direction and guidance should be followed or given 
by this group. 

Several U.S. Agencies Contributed to Security Support for 2006 Winter 
Games; United States Spent Millions on Security Support Activities, but 
Lacks Formal Mechanism for Coordinating Financial Requirements: 

Several U.S. agencies contributed to the U.S. security support effort 
in Turin, identifying more than $16 million in costs--over fiscal years 
2005 and 2006--to arrange and provide for this support. State initially 
paid for agencies' shared costs, which were reimbursed by funds from 
the participating agencies; however, no formal mechanism exists for 
coordinating financial requirements associated with providing security 
support. 

Several U.S. Agencies Provided Security Support for the 2006 Winter 
Games: 

Approximately 20 U.S. agencies, or their component entities, 
contributed to security efforts for the 2006 Winter Games. These 
contributions ranged from crisis management and investigative expertise 
to the provision of equipment, training, and communications and 
logistical support. Key agencies that contributed to the U.S. effort in 
Turin included State, DHS, DOD, DOE, DOJ, and intelligence agencies. 
State coordinated the U.S. interagency efforts in both Italy and 
Washington, D.C., and also provided security advice and other 
assistance to U.S. athletes, spectators, and commercial 
investors.[Footnote 4] See table 1 for key contributions of U.S. 
agencies for the 2006 Winter Games. 

Table 1: U.S. Agencies' Roles and the Activities Provided for the 2006 
Winter Games: 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of State: Bureau of Diplomatic 
Security (DS); 
Role/ Security support activity: Protects U.S. personnel and missions 
overseas, advising U.S. ambassadors on all security matters and 
providing a security program against terrorist, espionage, and criminal 
threats at U.S. diplomatic facilities; 
For the Games, DS planned, developed, implemented, and coordinated with 
the Italian government to ensure that the appropriate assistance and 
protection was provided to U.S. athletes and all U.S. interests during 
the Games. DS assigned agents to serve in a liaison role at each of the 
major sporting venues and at each official and nonofficial Olympic 
site, and provided a security liaison official to work with the Italian 
government. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of State: Office of the Coordinator 
for Counterterrorism; 
Role/Security support activity: Heads U.S. government efforts to 
improve counterterrorism cooperation with foreign governments; 
The office led the Foreign Emergency Support Team, which is an 
interagency rapid-response team, to assist the Italian government 
should it request such support in the event of a terrorist attack. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of State: Consular Affairs; 
Role/Security support activity: Assists American citizens traveling or 
living abroad; 
Consular Affairs increased its outreach to American spectators 
attending the Games and provided various services, such as replacing 
lost passports. Consular Affairs also provided support to Mission 
Italy's crisis preparedness measures. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of State: Overseas Security 
Advisory Council (OSAC); 
Role/Security support activity: Facilitates the timely exchange of 
information between the U.S. government and the U.S. private sector on 
security issues; 
OSAC served as the lead agency for all actions concerning private 
sector sponsors. During the Games, OSAC served as the primary U.S. 
government point of contact for the U.S. private sector on security 
concerns. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Justice: Federal Bureau of 
Investigation (FBI); 
Role/ Security support activity: Conducts investigations and 
intelligence collection commensurate with the FBI's roles and 
responsibilities to identify and counter the threat posed by domestic 
and international terrorists and their supporters within the United 
States, and to pursue extraterritorial criminal investigations to bring 
the perpetrators of terrorist acts to justice; 
The FBI provided training, as requested by the Italian government. 
During the Games, FBI agents were prestaged in Turin to provide crisis 
management assistance in the event of a terrorist attack. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Justice: Criminal Division; 
Role/Security support activity: Provides training and assistance to 
foreign law enforcement and develops and prosecutes cases against 
perpetrators of extraterritorial terrorist acts; 
The Criminal Division offered training, coordinated with the lead 
terrorism prosecutor/magistrate for the Turin area, and prestaged a 
prosecutor in Turin during the Games to provide assistance and fulfill 
case development responsibilities in the event of a terrorist act. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Homeland Security: 
Transportation Security Administration (TSA); 
Role/Security support activity: Aims to prevent and deter terrorist 
attacks and protect against and respond to threats and hazards to the 
nation, including safeguarding the American people; 
their freedoms, critical infrastructure, and property; 
and the economy; 
During the Games, TSA ensured compliance to federal aviation security 
regulations, conducted Federal Air Marshal missions, and acted as an 
advisory body both to the Italian and the U.S. governments for 
transportation security issues. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Homeland Security: Federal Air 
Marshal Service; 
Role/Security support activity: Protects U.S. air carriers and 
passengers against hostile acts; 
For the Games, the service provided additional air marshals to 
accompany U.S.-based carriers traveling to and from Italy for the 
Games. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Homeland Security: U.S. Secret 
Service; 
Role/Security support activity: Provides protection services for its 
protectees; 
During the Games, the Secret Service provided protection for their 
protectees that attended. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Defense: European Command; 
Role/Security support activity: Protects and advances U.S. national 
interests, such as the safety of U.S. citizens at home and abroad and 
the security and well- being of allies; 
Provided personnel and equipment to support U.S. security efforts in 
Turin. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Defense: National Geospatial-
Intelligence Agency; 
Role/Security support activity: Provides imagery, imagery intelligence, 
and geospatial data and information for planning, decision making, and 
action in support of national security; 
This agency, in collaboration with Italy, provided detailed geospatial 
information to Italian and U.S. government agencies to assist with 
their security, consequence management, and emergency response planning 
efforts. 

Agency/Entity or office: Department of Energy: National Nuclear 
Security Administration; 
Role/Security support activity: Promotes international nuclear safety 
and nonproliferation to reduce global danger from weapons of mass 
destruction; 
Provided personnel in support of the Foreign Emergency Support Team, a 
State-led interagency rapid-response team. 

Agency/Entity or office: Other agencies; 
Role/Security support activity: The National Counterterrorism Center, 
the Central Intelligence Agency, among others, provided additional 
security support for the 2006 Winter Games. 

Source: GAO. 

[End of table] 

State operated under Presidential Decision Directives 62 and 39, which 
extend U.S. responsibility for protection of Americans overseas and 
direct State as the lead agency to ensure the protection of American 
citizens overseas. Furthermore, the Omnibus and Diplomatic Security and 
Antiterrorism Act of 1986 directs DS to develop and implement policies 
and programs for the security of U.S. government operations, including 
the protection of all U.S. government personnel (other than those under 
military command) on official duty abroad, and the establishment and 
operation of security functions at all U.S. government 
missions.[Footnote 5] DS is responsible for the establishment and 
operation of post security and protective functions abroad,[Footnote 6] 
and for liaisons with host nation officials to ensure the safety of 
official U.S. citizens. The Bureau of Consular Affairs is responsible 
for assisting private Americans traveling and residing abroad. Under 
State's leadership, other agencies' individual authorities were used to 
provide specific assistance to the Italian government. For example, the 
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has the authority under 
the Aviation and Transportation Security Act to deploy federal air 
marshals on all select flights from the United States to Italy, and TSA 
did so for the 2006 Winter Games. 

United States Spent Millions, but Lacks a Formal Mechanism for 
Coordinating Financial Requirements for Security Support: 

We surveyed the U.S. agencies identified as contributing security 
support in advance of and during the 2006 Winter Games. These agencies 
identified more than $16 million in costs in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 
to arrange and provide security support activities for the 2006 Winter 
Games,[Footnote 7] with funds from multiple accounts.[Footnote 8] U.S. 
agencies did not receive specific Olympic-related appropriations during 
this period. Of the $16 million, agencies reported to us that they 
spent more than $5 million in travel costs, including airfare, lodging, 
and per diem costs for staff who traveled overseas in 2005 and 2006 to 
provide security support for the 2006 Winter Games. The reported costs 
during this period do not capture the entirety of costs for activities 
in support of the 2006 Winter Games. For example, while reported costs 
include the salaries of key personnel who filled Olympic-related 
coordination roles, they do not capture the salaries and benefits of 
other U.S. officials who worked to support the U.S. effort for the 
Games, as part of their regular duties. 

State paid for lodging and other administrative support needs 
associated with establishing U.S. operations in Turin in advance, often 
to secure limited housing at a lower rate, and these costs were later 
reimbursed by the participating agencies. Specifically, the U.S. 
Embassy in Rome paid for initial deposits on hotels because some 
agencies in Athens had struggled to identify available funding--often, 
several years in advance of the Games--for their housing and logistics 
needs. For Turin, some agencies provided funds to State in advance of 
the Games, particularly for lodging deposits, while additional 
reimbursements were made after the Games. According to a State finance 
official in Rome, State provided $140,000 on lodging contracts and 
$720,000 on joint administrative services associated with U.S. 
interagency operations in Turin.[Footnote 9] The U.S. Embassy in Rome 
was later reimbursed by participating agencies, including State, for 
their portion of these joint administrative services. 

According to State officials in Italy, although the U.S. Embassy in 
Rome was able to fund these expenses, it struggled to cover them, 
particularly as costs rose due to the changing requirements of the 
agencies in outfitting suitable space for their operations. These 
changing requirements made it difficult for budget personnel at the 
U.S. Embassy in Rome to identify total joint administrative costs in 
order to obtain funds from State and other agencies in a timely manner. 
Although the interagency working group coordinates the domestic side of 
agency support for U.S. efforts at major international sporting events, 
it does not have a formal mechanism for addressing funding issues 
associated with providing this support. State and DOJ officials told us 
that it would be easier to plan and budget for future Olympic-security 
support activities overseas, which often begin several years in advance 
of the Games, if a framework were available for identifying costs and 
determining how these costs will be funded as early as possible. Such a 
framework would also be useful for anticipating resource needs, 
coordinating budgetary requests, and addressing potential funding 
issues associated with providing U.S. security support to future 
overseas Games.[Footnote 10] 

Agencies have reported their expenditures associated with providing 
security support for both the 2004 Summer Games in Athens and the 2006 
Winter Games in Turin.[Footnote 11] Although the total reported 
expenditures for providing security support to these overseas Games are 
not directly comparable, in part due to the differing sizes of the 
Games and the differing nature of U.S. security support, they can be 
helpful in identifying future costs.[Footnote 12] For both Games, State 
and DOD reported the two largest portions of costs associated with 
providing U.S. security support. For the 2004 Summer Games, State and 
DOD spent $15 million and $12.2 million, respectively. For the 2006 
Winter Games, State and DOD spent $6.9 million and $6.6 million, 
respectively. See figure 3 for key agencies' reported expenditures for 
security support to the 2004 Summer Games and the 2006 Winter Games. 

Figure 3: Key Agency Expenditures for the 2004 Summer Games and the 
2006 Winter Games: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

The nature of U.S. security support provided by key agencies differed 
between the 2004 Summer Games in Athens and the 2006 Winter Games in 
Turin. For the Athens Games, the majority of costs identified by the 
agencies were travel costs for U.S. personnel supporting the Games and 
for training programs provided to Greek officials and security 
personnel. Agencies reported that they spent more than $9 million on 
training programs provided to Greek officials and security personnel, 
including the costs for building and executing the consequence 
management military exercises and FBI forensics training as well as for 
translating training materials and providing translators at the 
training sessions. For the Turin Games, U.S. agencies reported that 
they spent $95,000 on training programs for Italian officials and 
security personnel. As previously mentioned, the majority of the Turin 
Games costs identified by the agencies were for U.S. personnel travel 
and salary, benefits, and related expenditures for staff who were hired 
to fill Olympic-related coordination roles. 

Security Planning Lessons Learned Were Applied in Turin and Additional 
Lessons Were Identified for the Beijing and Other Future Games: 

Key lessons learned from the 2004 Summer Games were applied in the 
planning efforts for Turin, including (1) planning early for U.S. 
security support, (2) designating key U.S. officials to lead and 
deliver unified messages, and (3) centralizing U.S. resources and 
interagency operations. U.S. agencies are currently collecting lessons 
learned from the Turin Games, for distribution to agencies involved in 
security planning for the Beijing Games and other future Olympic Games. 
According to U.S. officials involved in the Turin Games, these lessons 
include the importance of (1) establishing a fully equipped, temporary 
operations center at the location of the Olympics when a U.S. presence 
is not nearby; (2) establishing clear roles and responsibilities for 
U.S. agencies in event planning and crisis response efforts; and (3) 
planning for Olympic-related expenditures over several fiscal years. 

U.S. Government Agencies Applied Key Lessons Learned from the Athens 
Games to the Turin Games: 

As we reported in 2005, key lessons learned from the Athens Games that 
were highlighted in numerous agency after-action reports and in an 
interagency "lessons learned" conference in Milan were applied to the 
security planning for the Turin Games.[Footnote 13] These lessons 
included the importance of (1) planning early for U.S. security 
support, (2) designating key U.S. officials to lead efforts and deliver 
unified messages, and (3) centralizing U.S. agency operations and 
intelligence activities. 

Planning Early for U.S. Security Support Activities: 

Many agency after-action reports from Athens and U.S. officials' 
comments indicated the importance of planning early--for providing 
crisis response support, counterterrorism and intelligence support, and 
other capabilities--coupled with an understanding of host country 
security capabilities that an existing and cooperative bilateral 
relationship affords. Such early insight enables advance planning of 
baseline support, including logistics as well as training and military 
exercises to enhance the host country's capabilities. Furthermore, 
early planning of baseline U.S. support enables agencies to coordinate 
their efforts and plan more efficiently and effectively, including 
arranging accommodations, vehicle rentals, and communications 
infrastructure. For example, advance notification of the expected U.S. 
agency presence would allow for planning of support infrastructure, 
including the operations and intelligence center. U.S. officials 
planning for the Turin Games identified the importance of this lesson 
and began planning immediately after the Athens Games, almost 1½ years 
in advance of the Turin Games. 

This lesson is being applied to the 2008 Beijing Games as the United 
States has already begun its planning efforts over 2 years in advance 
of the Games. According to U.S. officials in Beijing, U.S. officials in 
Greece; Italy; and Washington, D.C., have shared this lesson with their 
counterparts in Beijing. The U.S. Mission in Beijing is taking steps to 
plan for baseline support and identify the types of security support 
that the United States may provide for the Beijing Games. While U.S. 
agencies are focusing on the Beijing Games, they also are beginning to 
assess potential roles for U.S. security support for the 2010 Vancouver 
Winter Games. These plans are still in the early stages, although 
bilateral U.S.-Canada state and federal security and transportation 
officials have already met to discuss Canada's Olympic planning 
process. The Vancouver Games, located in close proximity to the U.S. 
border, will present new and different challenges for U.S. security 
support, such as cross-border security issues. 

Designating Key U.S. Officials to Lead Efforts and Present Unified 
Message: 

The designation of certain U.S. officials to serve as point persons for 
U.S. security support efforts is another key lesson from Athens that 
was applied in Turin. In Athens, the U.S. Embassy had designated 
individuals to be responsible for political, security, and logistics 
arrangements, which helped to avoid separate requests for assistance 
from U.S. agencies and minimized overlap among and overreach by 
participating U.S. agencies. Athens-and Washington-based officials 
recommended this strategy for future use. In September 2004, the U.S. 
Ambassador to Italy delegated organizational responsibility and overall 
coordination authority for U.S. efforts in Turin to the U.S. Consul 
General in Milan. In November 2004, State appointed an U.S. Olympic 
Security Coordinator to serve in Turin as a U.S. focal point for 
contacts with the host government and to work with the Consul General 
to develop and communicate a coordinated U.S. message, specifically on 
matters related to security support. This individual was tasked with 
crafting and ensuring a consistent message and setting consistent 
expectations for the host country and multilateral community regarding 
planned U.S. security support efforts. In addition, in January 2005, an 
FBI liaison arrived in Italy to serve as the FBI's point of contact for 
its security support efforts in Turin. According to State and FBI 
officials, the U.S. Olympic Security Coordinator and FBI liaison worked 
closely together in Turin to plan for and coordinate U.S. security 
support operations in Turin. 

To coordinate the logistical arrangements and needs for U.S. operations 
in Turin, State appointed a U.S. Olympic Coordinator who arrived in 
April 2005. This individual served as a U.S. focal point for contacts 
with the host government, the Turin Olympic Organizing Committee, and 
the U.S. Olympic Committee and worked with the U.S. Consul General in 
Milan to develop and communicate interagency information in a 
coordinated and understandable way. In addition, a dedicated Web site 
was developed as a ready source of information for Americans on 
security matters, while also offering helpful advice on other matters, 
such as how to replace lost passports and locate English-speaking 
pharmacies. 

This lesson is being applied to the 2008 Beijing Games through State's 
appointment of an Olympic Coordinator in June 2005, a Minister 
Counselor for Olympic Coordination in December 2005, a Deputy Olympic 
Security Coordinator in January 2006, and the U.S. Ambassador's 
designation of an Olympic Coordination Office at the U.S. Mission in 
Beijing to coordinate all arrangements--including political, security, 
and logistical--for U.S. security support to the 2008 Summer Games. 
According to U.S. officials involved in planning for the 2008 Summer 
Games, providing consistent, clear, and targeted information for 
Beijing is needed to avert possible confusion within the Chinese 
government regarding which U.S. agency to speak with to obtain specific 
assistance. The strategy also will help ensure that U.S. citizens and 
interests receive consistent information on security and other critical 
issues. 

Centralizing U.S. Activities in One Location: 

Many U.S. officials noted that the key lesson from Athens that was 
applied in Turin was the centralization of all U.S. activities in one 
location. U.S. officials involved in the Athens Games recommended that 
operations and intelligence centers for future Olympics be colocated to 
ensure the efficient delivery and dissemination of information among 
U.S. agencies. U.S. officials planning for Turin identified the 
importance of this lesson and planned to better centralize resources by 
colocating all participating U.S. agencies and their functions in one 
facility in Turin, including operations and intelligence activities and 
consular services for U.S. citizens. According to U.S. officials who 
worked on the Turin Games, the colocation of all U.S. agencies and 
activities in one facility resulted in good coordination, and 
eliminated many planning and operations problems that had been 
experienced in Athens. 

This lesson has been communicated by Washington-, Athens-, and Italy- 
based personnel to their counterparts in China and has been 
incorporated into planning efforts for the Beijing Games. According to 
U.S. officials in Beijing, they are following the Turin model of 
centralizing U.S. resources, to coordinate interagency needs that will 
be specific to the Beijing Games and to identify any training or 
security support that may be provided to the Chinese government. By 
July 2006, U.S. officials in Beijing plan to have established a U.S. 
Olympic Coordination Office outside of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing to 
coordinate U.S. operations leading up to and during the Beijing Games. 

U.S. Agencies Identified Additional Lessons Learned in Turin: 

U.S. agencies have begun to collect lessons learned from the Turin 
Games and disseminate them to their Beijing Games counterparts. 
According to U.S. officials involved in the Turin Games, key lessons 
from Turin included the importance of (1) establishing a temporary, 
fully equipped, operations center at the location of the Olympics when 
a U.S. presence is not nearby; (2) establishing clear roles and 
responsibilities for U.S. agencies in event planning and operations; 
and (3) planning early for Olympic-related costs. Officials at State, 
DOJ, and other key agencies are currently completing after-action 
reports that are expected to highlight aspects of security support that 
went well and should be replicated in the future, where feasible, and 
what aspects could be improved upon. At the time of our review, State 
and DOJ expected to complete their after-action reports in June 2006. 
In addition, the Washington-based interagency working group is 
completing an after-action report that is expected to discuss issues 
specific to the support provided by this group. According to State, the 
interagency working group's after-action report is expected to be 
completed later this year. 

Establishing a U.S. Operations Center at the Location of Games: 

The lack of a U.S. presence in Turin demonstrated the importance of 
establishing a fully equipped operations center at the location of the 
Games. Acquiring and outfitting suitable space for an interagency 
operations center require advance planning, particularly when a U.S. 
presence is not nearby. In Turin, which is a 90-minute drive from the 
nearest U.S. Consulate, the U.S. Mission faced unique challenges in 
establishing a temporary but suitable space for centralizing 
interagency operations, particularly those related to logistics, 
communications, and resources. For example, the U.S. Consulate in Milan 
used its staff to provide logistical support to the U.S. coordinators 
in Turin, such as the establishment of work space and other 
administrative support services. Since the U.S. Olympic Coordination 
Office was not established until July 2005, the U.S. coordinators in 
Turin worked from their homes and traveled between Milan and Turin to 
coordinate the U.S. efforts. 

In addition, proper space and classification requirements of 
participating agencies were difficult to identify in early planning 
efforts, in part due to the lack of proper communication capabilities 
between U.S. officials in Turin and U.S. agencies in Washington, D.C. 
Agency officials in Italy and Washington attributed this difficulty, in 
part, to this being the first time that the United States had attempted 
to establish a temporary U.S. facility to coordinate security support 
provided by all participating U.S. agencies. Although these challenges 
were resolved in time for the Turin Games, U.S. officials in Italy and 
Washington stated that authoritative decision making is necessary for 
budgeting and identifying requirements for setting up an interagency 
operation center. 

Due to the presence of a U.S. Embassy in Beijing and three U.S. 
Consulates near other Olympic venues, U.S. operations in Beijing will 
not require the establishment of a fully equipped U.S. operations 
center. However, shortage of space at the U.S. Mission requires the 
establishment of a U.S. Olympic Coordination Office outside of the U.S. 
Embassy in Beijing. U.S. officials in Beijing and at the interagency 
working group in Washington have begun discussing the communication, 
infrastructure, and other logistical requirements for centralizing and 
coordinating U.S. agency security support efforts before and during the 
Beijing Games. In addition, U.S. officials have held preplanning 
discussions for the 2010 Vancouver Games regarding work space and 
operating requirements. 

Establishing Clear Roles and Responsibilities for U.S. Agencies: 

The Turin Games and, to some degree, the Athens Games demonstrated the 
importance of establishing clear roles and responsibilities for U.S. 
agencies in the planning and operational stages of U.S. security 
support efforts. While security support for the Turin Games was 
generally well-coordinated, U.S. agency officials at State and DOJ have 
stated that the overall U.S. effort lacks a clear strategy for security 
support operations at future overseas sporting events. These officials 
indicated that clear guidance for U.S. agencies' roles and 
responsibilities would identify authorities for decision making and 
responsibilities during both the planning and operational stages of the 
U.S. efforts. U.S. officials in Turin prepared an operational plan that 
was approved by the U.S. Mission in Rome, which outlined the missions 
of all participating agencies and identified reporting authorities for 
U.S. operations. However, according to State and DOJ officials, 
although State is the lead agency for ensuring the protection of 
American citizens overseas, the United States does not have a strategy 
that clearly outlines the authorities responsible for planning 
operations at future Olympic Games. 

Planning Early for Several Years of Olympic-Related Costs: 

U.S. support for the Turin Games demonstrated the importance of 
planning early for Olympic-related costs. In particular, State and DOJ 
officials noted the importance of identifying early funding sources to 
make advance payments on housing and logistical needs. In Turin, State 
struggled to identify funds to secure space, communication, and 
transportation arrangements, among other expenses, for interagency 
operations. Although U.S. officials in Italy were able to secure 
funding for housing and space for U.S. operations, they indicated that 
it was difficult to obtain timely decisions from the interagency to 
budget and identify requirements for the establishment of a U.S. 
presence in Turin. State officials in Italy indicated that they were 
unable to address these issues until the fall of 2005, when agency 
representatives came to Italy for operational planning meetings. 
According to a State finance official in Italy, funds for the joint 
administrative costs were easier to obtain once the U.S. coordinators 
in Turin and the interagency were able to identify operational 
requirements. In addition, several U.S. officials in Italy and 
Washington, D.C., stated that, for future overseas Games, it would be 
easier for agencies to identify and plan for their portion of Olympic- 
related expenditures if a framework were available for identifying 
costs and addressing funding issues associated with providing security 
support. 

U.S. officials in Italy and Washington, D.C., have shared this lesson 
with their counterparts in Beijing. According to U.S. officials in 
Beijing, they have already begun to address housing and logistics 
needs, such as planning to make initial deposits on hotels early to 
avoid high costs for accommodations as the Games draw nearer. However, 
these officials indicated potential problems with identifying funds 
early enough to cover expenditures for this fiscal year. 

Planning Efforts Are Under Way to Identify U.S. Security Support for 
2008 Beijing Games; Efforts Face Unique Challenges: 

The United States is currently taking steps to coordinate a U.S. 
security presence and identify the types of security support that the 
United States may provide for the 2008 Beijing Games. U.S.-Chinese 
counterterrorism cooperation is limited, and U.S. officials have stated 
that they lack knowledge of China's capabilities to handle security for 
the Olympics. In addition, technology transfer and human rights issues 
present new and different challenges for U.S. security support to these 
Games. 

The U.S. government, led by State, is actively working to identify and 
establish a U.S. security presence to support the interests of its 
athletes, spectators, and commercial investors during the Games. The 
U.S. Ambassador to China has designated a U.S. Olympic Coordination 
Office to be responsible for all arrangements--including political, 
security, and logistical--of U.S. efforts for the Beijing Games. In 
January 2006, State appointed a U.S. Deputy Olympic Security 
Coordinator to serve--in this new office--as a U.S. government point 
person for U.S. security support for the Beijing Games. In addition, 
the U.S. Olympic Coordinator and the Minister Counselor for Olympic 
Coordination, appointed by State in June and December 2005, 
respectively, serve as the point persons for logistic arrangements of 
U.S. efforts. Both the U.S. Deputy Olympic Security Coordinator and the 
U.S. Olympic Coordinator were in Turin to participate in U.S. security 
support for the 2006 Winter Games and to learn from their counterparts 
in Turin. To ensure the safety of U.S. athletes, spectators, and 
commercial investors, State has taken steps to identify and secure 
logistical support. To help identify necessary housing and mitigate 
high prices on accommodations, State has begun to identify housing 
options for U.S. personnel, coordinating through the interagency group 
for estimates of personnel to be temporarily assigned to Beijing during 
the Games. 

While China has not yet requested U.S. security assistance as of May 
2006, State officials have received inquiries from Chinese officials 
regarding Olympic security. As of April 2006, discussions between the 
United States and China were under way for an assessment to identify 
security needs and U.S. security support for the Beijing Games, 
according to U.S. officials in Beijing and Washington, D.C. In 
addition, a working group has been established between U.S. and Chinese 
counterparts to discuss issues related to the operational and 
intelligence side of security. U.S. officials have stated that the 
Chinese have recognized the large size of the U.S. team and its 
associated security risks and concerns. 

Although recent steps have been taken, U.S. officials have stated that 
they lack knowledge of China's advanced capabilities to handle security 
for the 2008 Summer Games. In addition, U.S. officials from State and 
DOJ have stated that they are uncertain about the extent of assistance 
China may request or permit from outside sources. Moreover, U.S. and 
Chinese counterterrorism cooperation is limited, and military relations 
have only recently resumed. In July 2003, China joined the U.S. 
Container Security Initiative, and, in November 2005, the United States 
and China signed an agreement related to the U.S. Megaports Initiative, 
allowing for the installation of special equipment at Chinese ports to 
detect hidden shipments of nuclear and other radioactive materials. The 
United States has recently resumed, under the current administration, 
military-to-military contacts with China. 

In planning for the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, logistical challenges 
and technology transfers and human rights issues present unique 
challenges for U.S. security support. The location of the Beijing Games 
presents unique logistical challenges in coordinating U.S. security 
support. Whereas past Summer Games have been centered in and around the 
host city, the venues for the Beijing Games will be spread across seven 
Chinese cities along the country's eastern border, presenting potential 
communication challenges for interagency operations between the U.S. 
Embassy Beijing and U.S. Consulates located near Olympic venue sites. 
Figure 4 presents the seven venue cities for the Beijing Games-- 
Beijing, Qingdao, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenyang, and 
Qinhuangdao--and the U.S. embassy and three consulates located at 
Olympic venue cities. Unlike the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, U.S. 
officials have stated the Chinese are much further ahead in planning 
for the 2008 Summer Games, and these officials anticipate that the 
venues will be completed on time or ahead of schedule. To prepare for 
the 2008 Beijing Games, China is planning to host several events in 
2007 to test its preparations for major event operations. 

Figure 4: Venue Locations for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: 

[See PDF for image] 

[End of figure] 

In addition, any requests for equipment or technology to support 
security efforts in China must be addressed under U.S. requirements for 
the protection against sensitive technology transfers, because U.S. 
sanctions deny the export of defense articles/services, crime control 
equipment, and satellites to China. A presidential waiver for exports 
of equipment for security of the Beijing Olympics may be 
considered.[Footnote 14] U.S. policy makers and human rights groups 
have also expressed concern with several human rights issues in China, 
including freedom of information, freedom of religion, and protection 
of ethnic and minority groups. 

Conclusions: 

In a climate of increased concerns about international terrorism, 
ensuring the protection of U.S. interests at future Olympic Games 
overseas will continue to be a priority for the United States. For such 
future Games, U.S. agencies are likely to continue providing support to 
host governments in identifying potential security threats and 
developing strategies to protect U.S. athletes, spectators, and 
commercial investors several years in advance of and throughout the 
Olympics. Although each Olympic Games has its own set of unique 
security requirements, future coordination of U.S. security support 
efforts for Games--under the leadership of State--should efficiently 
and effectively capture the expertise, knowledge, and resource 
requirements of all U.S. agencies. However, there is currently no 
formal framework for guiding the development and implementation of U.S. 
security support for such Games, particularly the coordinated financing 
of U.S. security support and operations. 

Recommendations: 

To enhance planning and preparations for future overseas Olympic and 
Paralympic Games, we recommend that the Secretary of State, in 
consultation with members of the International Athletic Events Security 
Coordinating Group, take the following two actions: 

* Develop written guidance for providing U.S. government security 
support to future Games. This guidance should identify key personnel 
and target dates for their assignment and roles and responsibilities, 
and key steps for the U.S. Mission and regional bureau to undertake in 
preparing for and leading the U.S. efforts at future Games. To 
formalize the process for providing security support overseas, we also 
recommend that State, in consultation with members of the International 
Athletic Events Security Coordinating Group, consider establishing a 
charter and mission statement for this group that identifies 
authorities and responsibilities for coordinating and supporting U.S. 
security efforts at future Games. 

* Develop a finance subgroup as part of the International Athletic 
Events Security Coordinating Group, which would bring together 
budgetary personnel from the various agencies or component entities 
that contribute to security efforts for overseas Games. A formal 
mechanism, such as a finance subgroup with established 
responsibilities, would help the agencies plan for anticipated 
resources needs, coordinate their budget requests, and address 
potential funding issues for U.S. security support at future Games. 

Agency Comments: 

We provided a draft of this report to the Secretaries of Defense, 
Energy, Homeland Security, and State and to the Attorney General for 
their review and comment. The Department of State provided written 
comments on the draft report, which are reprinted in appendix II. State 
said that it agreed with our findings and recommendations, and that it 
is working to develop a more efficient plan for coordinating the 
planning and implementation of U.S. security support at future major 
events overseas--including the development of written guidance and 
identified roles and responsibilities for interagency working group 
members--through an after-action review of the International Athletic 
Events Security Coordinating Group and by working with the National 
Security Council, Counterterrorism Security Group. Furthermore, State 
said that the interagency working group has expanded its working 
subgroups and is considering the inclusion of a budget subgroup to 
address potential funding issues for U.S. security support at future 
Olympic Games. State also provided technical comments, which we 
incorporated where appropriate. 

The Departments of Defense and Justice did not provide written comments 
on the draft report; however, they provided technical comments, which 
we incorporated where appropriate. The Departments of Energy and 
Homeland Security did not provide written or technical comments. 

We are sending copies of this report to interested congressional 
committees, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of Energy, and the 
Attorney General. We will also make copies available to others upon 
request. In addition, the report will be available at no charge on the 
GAO Web site at [Hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. 

If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please 
contact me at (202) 512-4128 or ford@gao.gov. Contact points for our 
Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on 
the last page of this report. Key contributors to this report are 
listed in appendix III. 

Signed by: 

Jess T. Ford: 
Director, International Affairs and Trade: 

[End of section] 

Appendix I: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology: 

To fulfill our objectives in identifying U.S. security strategies in 
providing security support for the 2006 Winter Games, the various roles 
and additional costs of the U.S. agencies involved, and the lessons 
they learned in supporting the Games, we specifically obtained and 
reviewed several documents, such as available operations and mission 
plans, security situation reports, and monthly activity reports. In 
addition, we interviewed officials at the Departments of State (State), 
Justice (DOJ), Homeland Security (DHS), Defense (DOD), and Energy (DOE) 
and at certain intelligence agencies. We also conducted fieldwork in 
Rome, Milan, and Turin, Italy. 

At State, we interviewed officials in the Bureau of Diplomatic 
Security, Coordinator for Counterterrorism office; Overseas Security 
Advisory Council; Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs; Consular 
Affairs; and Public Affairs. We also interviewed the U.S. Olympic 
Security Coordinator and the U.S. Olympic Coordinator. At DOJ, we 
interviewed officials in the Criminal Division and the Federal Bureau 
of Investigation (FBI) Counterterrorism Division, including the FBI's 
Olympic coordinator who served as its liaison in Turin through the 
operational period of the Games. At DHS, we met with officials from the 
Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Secret Service, and 
the Federal Air Marshal Service. At DOD, we spoke with officials from 
the Office of the Secretary of Defense and European Command. At DOE, we 
spoke with officials from the National Nuclear Security Administration. 
Finally, we regularly attended and met with the interagency working 
group--the International Athletic Events Security Coordinating Group-- 
that includes all agencies involved in providing support to 
international sporting events overseas. 

During our fieldwork in Italy in November 2005, we obtained documents 
and interviewed key U.S. officials from the previously mentioned 
agencies. We obtained and reviewed key documents, such as operational 
and mission plans. In Rome, we interviewed U.S. officials, including 
the Deputy Chief of Mission, Regional Security Officer, Minister 
Counselor for Management Affairs, Financial Management Officer, 
Information Management Officer, Legal Attaché, Public Affairs Officer, 
Immigration and Customs Enforcement Attaché, Transportation and 
Security Administration representative, Defense Attaché, and Consular 
officer. Additionally, we attended an interagency operations and 
capabilities presentation for the Chief of Mission. Also, we met with 
representatives from the Italian Ministry of Interior to obtain the 
Italian government's perspective on the security support provided by 
the United States. During our fieldwork in Milan, we interviewed U.S. 
officials, including the Consul General, Milan; Management Officer; 
Vice Consul; Public Affairs Officers; and Consular Officer. In Turin, 
we interviewed the U.S. Olympic Coordinator and the U.S. Olympic 
Security Coordinator. We also visited the U.S. Olympic Coordination 
Center in Turin and observed preparations for outfitting the center for 
the planned operations and intelligence center. Additionally, to 
understand the challenges associated with providing security support to 
the distant Olympic venues, we visited several of the Olympics venue 
sites in Turin, including in Palavela, Pragelato, Sestriere, and 
Bardonecchia, Italy. 

To determine cost estimates of U.S. security support to the 2006 Winter 
Games, we developed a data collection instrument (DCI), based on the 
previous DCI we used to obtain cost estimates for the 2004 Athens 
Games, to survey agencies identified as contributing to the U.S. 
effort. A draft DCI was pretested on two U.S. government agencies. In 
November 2005, we sent a preliminary DCI to agencies identified by 
State as being involved in the U.S. security support effort and 
obtained 11 responses. In March 2006, we sent a final DCI to the 
agencies previously identified and obtained 20 responses. Except for 
the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the intelligence community 
entities did not provide a response to our final DCI on costs for the 
2006 Winter Games. Our DCI requested agencies to identify how they 
collected and tracked the data on costs. We conducted follow-ups with 
the agencies to clarify information in their responses. We observed 
that not all agency components collect and track data in a consistent 
manner. Furthermore, the DCI did not attempt to gather information on 
the costs of personnel salaries, which are presumed to be a significant 
outlay for the agency components involved. To assess the reliability of 
the estimates provided, we compared the preliminary results with the 
final results and compared this year's 2006 results with those for 
2004. In addition, we considered the cost factors cited by the agencies 
in relation to the sums they reported and conducted follow-ups with the 
agencies to clarify any questions that arose. We determined that these 
data were sufficiently reliable to be reported in aggregated form, 
rounded to millions, and attributed to the agencies, as estimated cost 
outlays and by category of expenditure, but not in precise, detailed 
form. 

To assess how lessons learned in supporting Greece were applied to the 
Turin Games, we gathered information from the various agencies 
previously mentioned; reviewed operations plans; attended meetings of 
the State-chaired interagency working group in Washington, D.C; and 
conducted fieldwork in Rome, Milan, Turin, and mountain areas of Italy. 
To identify lessons learned from the Turin Games, we gathered 
information from the various agencies and attended meetings of the 
interagency working group. Although after-action reports were not 
completed and available at the time of our audit, to identify lessons 
learned, we interviewed key officials at State, DOJ, the U.S. Consulate 
Milan, and the U.S. Coordination Center in Turin and attended the 
interagency working group meetings. To identify how lessons learned in 
Turin are being applied to the 2008 Beijing Games, we interviewed U.S. 
officials from State and DOJ and the U.S. Olympic Coordinator and U.S. 
Deputy Olympic Security Coordinator at the U.S. Mission in Beijing. 

To identify efforts under way for providing support to the 2008 Summer 
Games in Beijing, we gathered information from the various agencies 
previously mentioned; reviewed China's Mission Performance Plan; 
attended meetings of the State-chaired interagency working group in 
Washington, D.C; and interviewed the Deputy Olympic Security 
Coordinator and Olympic Coordinator at the U.S. Mission in Beijing. 

We conducted our work from September 2005 to May 2006 in accordance 
with generally accepted government auditing standards. 

[End of section] 

Appendix II: Comments from the Department of State: 

United States Department of State: 

Assistant Secretary for Resource Management and Chief Financial 
Officer: 

Washington, D.C. 20520: 

June 6, 2006: 

Ms. Jacquelyn Williams-Bridgers: 
Managing Director: 
International Affairs and Trade: 
Government Accountability Office 441 G Street, N.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20548-0001: 

Dear Ms. Williams-Bridgers: 

We appreciate the opportunity to review your draft report, "Olympic 
Security: Better Planning Can Enhance U.S. Support to Future Olympic 
Games," GAO Job Code 320381. 

The enclosed Department of State comments are provided for 
incorporation with this letter as an appendix to the final report. 

If you have any questions concerning this response, please contact Mike 
VanBuskirk, Division Chief, Bureau of Diplomatic Security, at (202) 895-
3644. 

Sincerely, 

Signed by: 

Bradford R. Higgins: 

cc: GAO - John Brummet: 
DS - Richard Griffin: 
S/CT - Henry Crumpton: 
State/OIG - Mark Duda: 

Department of State Comments on GAO Draft Report: 

Olympic Security: Better Planning Can Enhance U.S. Support to Future 
Olympic Games (GAO-06-753, GAO Code 320381): 

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the report entitled Olympic 
Security: Better Planning Can Enhance U.S. Support to Future Olympic 
Games. We appreciate the GAO's recognition of the USG's Inter-Agency 
planning and coordination designed to enhance the Government of Italy 
(GOI) Olympic Security programs and to ensure the security of U.S. 
athletes, spectators and commercial investors. We are pleased that 
while GAO worked to accomplish its objectives to (1) discuss the 
approach for providing USG Security support; (2) identify the roles and 
responsibilities of contributing agencies; (3) review lessons learned 
in previous games; and (4) identify efforts underway for providing 
support to the 2008 Beijing Games; it provided two recommendations to 
better the Department of State's International Athletic Events Security 
Coordinating Group (IAESCG) planning for future events. 

Our responses to the GAO's specific recommendations follow: 

Recommendation 1: That the Secretary of State, in consultation with 
members of the interagency working group, develop written guidance for 
providing U.S. Government security support to future games. 

IAESCG is currently undertaking an in depth After Action Review (AAR) 
designed to develop a more efficient and concise plan for coordinating 
future major events overseas. Among the areas to be addressed include 
the development of written guidance for IAESCG members, further 
identifying the roles and responsibilities of each agency in the 
planning and implementation of security during international major 
events. Additionally, the Department of State continues to work closely 
through the National Security Council, Counterterrorism Security Group 
(CSG) in addressing all aspects of USG support for these events. The 
Department will look favorably on further guidance from the CSG in 
formalizing USG support to international major events. 

Recommendation 2: That the Secretary of State, in consultation with 
members of the interagency working group, develop a finance sub-group 
within the interagency working group to help agencies plan and prepare 
for future support. 

The IAESCG has already taken on the responsibility of expanding its 
working sub-groups. Among consideration is expansion to include a 
budget sub-group. The group would be comprised of budget analysts from 
each of the agencies lending support or assistance to the IAESCG, whose 
role would be to address potential funding issues for U.S. security 
support at Olympic Games. 

[End of section] 

Appendix III: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: 

GAO Contact: 

Jess T. Ford, Director, (202) 512-4268: 

Staff Acknowledgments: 

Key contributors to this report included Diana Glod, Monica Brym, and 
Dorian L. Herring. Technical assistance was provided by Jason Bair, Joe 
Carney, Martin de Alteris, Etana Finkler, Ernie Jackson, Jena 
Sinkfield, George Taylor, and Mike TenKate. 

FOOTNOTES 

[1] For the purpose of this report, the term "2006 Winter Games" refers 
to the 2006 Turin Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games. The 2006 Turin 
Winter Olympic Games were held February 10 to 26, 2006, and the 2006 
Turin Paralympic Games were held March 10 to 19, 2006, in Turin, Italy. 

[2] Established in December 2001, the interagency working group serves 
to coordinate U.S. government security support efforts to U.S. 
embassies and host governments sponsoring major international sporting 
events. The interagency working group aims to keep all participating 
agencies informed and prevent duplicative or conflicting efforts by 
those involved. 

[3] The major events coordination unit within DS is responsible for 
drawing on resources throughout State to coordinate overseas security 
support provided to foreign governments and U.S. missions for major 
events and State's support provided to domestic events, according to a 
State official and agency documents. 

[4] Other U.S. assistance for U.S. athletes, spectators, and commercial 
investors included protection services, consular and public diplomacy 
services, and security-related information. 

[5] 22 U.S.C. 4802 (a)(1)(2). 

[6] Department of State Delegation of Authority No. 214, 59 FR 50790; 1 
Foreign Affairs Manual (FAM) 261.1 - 261.3; 12 FAM 011, 012. 

[7] This total includes National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency costs 
for security support provided for the 2006 Winter Games, but does not 
include the costs incurred by other entities of the U.S. intelligence 
community. 

[8] Entities within each agency used their program accounts to fund 
their specific activities. 

[9] U.S. joint operations included the following: rental fees, 
commissioning and decommissioning of the U.S. operations center, 
vehicle rentals, facility maintenance services, administrative support, 
communication and other equipment, and medical supplies. 

[10] Pursuant to an annual appropriations restriction enacted by 
Congress, agencies may not contribute to the interagency financing of 
boards, committees, or similar groups that do not have prior and 
specific statutory approval to receive financial support from multiple 
agencies. See section 810 of Public Law 109-115. This provision, 
however, would not preclude agencies from providing reimbursement to 
State for goods and services provided to those agencies under the 
authority of the Economy Act, or other appropriate authority, such as 
section 23 of State's Basic Authorities Act 22 U.S.C. 2695. 

[11] GAO, Olympic Security: U.S. Support to Athens Games Provides 
Lessons for Future Olympics, GAO-05-547 (Washington, D.C.: May 31, 
2005). 

[12] Except for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, costs from 
the intelligence community entities were not included in the reported 
costs for U.S. security support to the 2006 Winter Games. 

[13] GAO-05-547. 

[14] The President recently signed a waiver for an one-time shipment of 
equipment and technology for the construction of the new U.S. Embassy 
in Beijing. 

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