Progress made in strengthening DHS information technology management, but challenges remain .

GAO has regularly reported on government operations identified as high risk because of their increased vulnerability to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or the need for transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. In 2003, GAO designated implementing and transforming DHS as high risk because DHS had to transform 22 agencies into one department, and failure to address associated risks could have serious consequences for U.S. national and economic security. While challenges remain for DHS across its range of missions, it has made considerable progress. As a result, in its 2013 high-risk update, GAO narrowed the scope of the high-risk area to focus on strengthening and integrating DHS management functions (human capital, acquisition, financial, and information technology). As requested, this statement discusses, among other things, DHS's progress and actions remaining in strengthening and integrating its management functions. This statement is based on GAO's 2015 high-risk update and reports and testimonies from September 2011 through February 2015. Among other things, GAO analyzed DHS strategies and interviewed DHS officials.

In 2003, GAO designated implementing and transforming DHS as high risk because the failure to address risks associated with transforming 22 agencies into one department could have serious consequences for U.S. national and economic security. While challenges remain, DHS has made considerable progress. As a result, in 2013 GAO narrowed the scope of the high-risk area to focus on strengthening and integrating DHS management functions (human capital, acquisition, financial, and information technology). This statement discusses DHS's progress and actions remaining in addressing these functions with a focus on acquisition management. In fiscal year 2015 alone, DHS reported that it planned to spend approximately $7.2 billion on its major acquisition programs to help execute its many critical missions. This statement is based on GAO's 2015 high-risk update, GAO products from 2005 through 2016, and selected updates from ongoing work. To conduct past and ongoing work we reviewed key documents such as DHS strategies and interviewed agency officials.

GAO has regularly reported on government operations identified as high-risk because of their increased vulnerability to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, or the need for transformation to address economy, efficiency, or effectiveness challenges. In 2003, GAO designated implementing and transforming DHS as high-risk because DHS had to transform 22 agencies into one department, and failure to address associated risks could have serious consequences for U.S. national and economic security. Challenges remain for DHS across its range of missions, but it has made considerable progress. As a result, in its 2013 high-risk update, GAO narrowed the scope of the high-risk area to strengthening and integrating DHS management functions (human capital, acquisition, financial, and information technology). This statement discusses, among other things, DHS's progress and actions remaining in strengthening and integrating its management functions. This statement is based on GAO's 2017 high-risk update and reports and testimonies from September 2011 through mid-February 2017. Among other things, GAO analyzed DHS strategies and interviewed DHS officials.

This is a print on demand edition of a hard to find publication. Since 2003, the Dept. of Homeland Security (DHS) has been a designated as high risk because DHS had to transform 22 agencies into one dept., and failure to effectively address its mission and mgmt. risks could have serious consequences for national and economic security. This high-risk area includes: challenges in mgmt. functional areas, including acquisition, IT, financial, and human capital mgmt.; the impact of those challenges on mission implementation; and mgmt. integration. This testimony discusses DHS's progress and actions remaining in: (1) implementing its mgmt. functions; (2) integrating those functions and strengthening performance measurement; and (3) addressing the high-risk designation. Illustrations.