Via POGO: “A federal audit has found problems with the State Department’s oversight of security at the U.S. embassy in Afghanistan. The audit, issued November 3, showed that, years after the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and long after Washington policymakers pledged to bolster protection for diplomats in danger zones, the State Department has failed to properly manage a security contract for one of the nation’s largest and most threatened embassies. The lapses could waste taxpayer money and place U.S. personnel at risk, according to the audit by the Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG). Kabul embassy guards have warned of security weaknesses and management problems in a series of reports by the Project On Government Oversight. The federal audit’s findings contrast with congressional testimony by Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick F. Kennedy, who last year told lawmakers: “Currently in Kabul we have a well-managed, effectively functioning contract that provides security to protect our people and facilities.” The government has outsourced security for diplomatic posts in dangerous parts of the world to private contractors, and the State Department is responsible for making sure the contractors comply with requirements. The Department in 2010 selected a firm called Aegis Defense Services to protect the embassy compound in Kabul under a contract that began in 2012 and is potentially worth $723 million over five years. However, the recently completed audit report by the OIG said the Department “did not ensure that Aegis maintained records documenting contract-required training and security screening for all employees” working on Kabul embassy security.”