Q15.

A15.

Information from ACDA indicated that ACDA chairs a total of 47 interagency meetings and committees related to arms control and nonproliferation. In contrast, State chairs a total of 60 such interagency meetings and committees.

What are the responsibilities and activities of the Agency chairing such interagency bodies?

Is State presently capable of picking up the workload for chairing an additional 47 such bodies? If not, what portion of ACDA staffing would need to be transferred to State to ensure continued operation of these interagency groups?

Could other agencies that are members of these interagency bodies be tasked to replace ACDA as chairing the groups?

The Agency's responsibilities are to lead internal U.S. Government deliberations on the specific mission for which the interagency body was created. They include hosting meetings, setting agendas, coordinating U.S. Government positions and framing disputes for resolution by the White House. They can also include heading briefing teams for the Congress, negotiations abroad or public diplomacy. It would not be practical for the State Department to pick up the workload carried by ACDA, in part because State is often spread thin at interagency meetings and because ACDA's unique niche in the national security arena. ACDA's staff would need to be transferred to State to ensure continued operation of these interagency groups. Theoretically, other agencies could be tasked to replace ACDA as chairs of these interagency groups, but those agencies would not have the arms control mission or provide the same institutional priority to the issues as currently maintained by ACDA. Such a theoretical development would ultimately dilute and dissipate the arms control considerations only guaranteed by ACDA.

Q16. ACDA's fiscal year 1996 budget presentation request declares that ACDA has achieved significant savings.

A16.

What is the baseline from which the savings were estimated?

How much was saved and where did the savings come from (the elimination of activities or FTEs)?

Are these one time savings or are they reoccurring?

The baseline is ACDA's FY 1995 appropriation and personnel levels. Given ACDA's request for additional funding and positions, all savings are reflected as net and serve to offset the Agency's incremental requirements which are necessary to support this Administration's expanded arms control and nonproliferation agenda. These are reoccurring savings because they reduce ACDA's baseline.

Q17.

A17.

The request also indicates that substantial savings were realized last year through reductions in ACDA's motor pool and apartments abroad.

What was the total amount saved as a result in these reductions?

Are there any other areas where savings have been achieved?

In accordance with the President's executive order, ACDA reduced its motorpool in Geneva, Switzerland by more than one-half. This has resulted in a one time savings for vehicle procurement of approximately $25,000 per vehicle.

Additionally, since 1992, ACDA has reduced by 3 the number of apartments it maintains overseas -- an estimated cost savings of $40,000 per apartment per annum.

These two savings resulted in a total savings of $250,000 per annum.

As a faithful and vigilant steward of USG funds, ACDA management continually looks for opportunities to identify economies. As a current example, ACDA is in

the process of canceling a lease in Geneva which will provide for additional savings beginning in FY-96.

Q18.

A18.

ACDA officials have said that ACDA's streamlining effort to date had nothing to do with downsizing and cost savings, but were intended to achieve management efficiencies. They indicated that cost savings might be achieved after implementations of the National Performance Review Phase 2 efforts to reduce duplications among foreign affairs agencies' administrative services.

What sharing or consolidating of services is planned for the NPR Phase 2 effort for ACDA?

How much cost savings is estimated to be achieved from these efforts?

Under NPR Phase 2, to date the foreign affairs agencies have identified twelve areas of common support and have created equally as many task forces to address these services -- who best performs them, which is the most economical venue without compromising efficiencies and effectiveness. The twelve areas currently being reviewed are: warehousing, records management, declassification, travel vouchering, travel management, shipping, printing, property claims, security, training, software development, and contracts.

Currently, State already provides the bulk of these services for ACDA, therefore any additional savings identified would be minimal. Because the various task forces are still in the process of identifying and pricing their specific recommendations, no dollar amounts are currently available.