Risks to Sustainable Peace in Afghanistan

Thank you for inviting me to testify. My remarks today concern the cautions set forth in the 2019edition of the High-Risk List from my agency, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR.1This is my 23rd time presenting testimony before Congress since I was appointed the Special Inspector General in 2012. It may well be the most important hearing to date as we are examining a very important question: If there is to be sustainable peace in Afghanistan, are we prepared for the day after? Some of you will recall the earlier versions of the High-Risk List that we issued in 2014 and 2017 for consideration by Congress and by the Secretaries of State and Defense. Like those reports, the2019 edition called attention to areas of the U.S. reconstruction effort in Afghanistan that are at serious risk of waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, and even program failure. With negotiations underway that could lead to the end of Americas longest war, this report differs from our prior two by identifying risks to the reconstruction effort that might persist or arise in the event of a hoped-for peace agreement. Congress has appropriated nearly $137 billion for Afghanistan reconstruction since fiscal year (FY) 2002, of which approximately $10 billion remains to be disbursed.2 Given U.S. statements of policy over three administrations and the very limited financial capacity of Afghanistans government, it appears likely that billions more will follow in the years ahead. The Afghan people and Afghanistans international partners would certainly welcome a peace agreement. But such an agreement could lead to unintended challenges for the reconstruction efforts made over the past 18 years by the United States, Coalition partners, and the Afghan government.