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GAO-17-667R 1 (2017-08-10)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaalbd0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GAOU.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 August 10, 2017 The Honorable Mac Thornberry Chairman The Honorable Adam Smith Ranking Member Committee on Armed Services House of Representatives Afghanistan Security: U.S.-Funded Equipment for the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces Developing independently capable Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) is a key component of U.S. and coalition efforts to counter terrorist threats and create sustainable security and stability in Afghanistan.1 Since 2002, the United States has worked to train and equip these forces, with assistance from North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members and other coalition nations. In January 2015, the ANDSF formally assumed security responsibilities for all of Afghanistan. Through the NATO-led mission Resolute Support, the United States continues to train and equip the ANDSF in order to develop them into more effective and sustainable forces that can protect the Afghan people and contribute to regional and international security. However, as reported by the Departments of Defense (DOD) and State (State), Afghanistan's stability and security continue to face threats from the Taliban-led insurgency, criminal networks, and terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan.2 House Report 114-537 associated with the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 included a provision for us to review weapon systems and equipment funded for the ANDSF. In this report, we describe equipment DOD and State have funded for the Afghan National Army (ANA) and Afghan National Police (ANP)-collectively known as the ANDSF.3 1The ANDSF is the official designation used for the Afghan security forces in the United States-Afghanistan 2014 Bilateral Security Agreement and is the Afghan government's preferred designation for the overall forces, including the Afghan National Army (ANA) and the Afghan National Police (ANP). The U.S. government now uses this term instead of the previously used Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). 2On January 14, 2016, the Department of State (State) designated the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan (also known as Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-Khorasan) as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under Section 219 of the Immigration and Nationality Act. According to State, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan announced its formation on January 10, 2015. 3The United States and international partners fund the ANDSF, which is authorized by Afghanistan's Ministries of Defense and Interior to have 352,000 ANA and ANP personnel in total. In addition, the United States funds equipment and other costs for the Afghan Local Police, a subcomponent of the ANP-authorized to have up to 30,000 personnel-that is separate from the ANDSF. In this report, all descriptions of equipment funded for the ANP include equipment funded for the Afghan Local Police. GAO-1 7-667R Afghanistan Security Page 1