For eight years, I was responsible for determining the effectiveness of U.S. counterterrorism spending. As a program advisor in the Office of Counterterrorism at the State Department, from 2018 to 2025, I oversaw about 20 projects in East Africa, with an annual value of approximately $80 million.
Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanism
None of these expenditures would be disbursed without a functional performance monitoring program in place. We established baselines and agreed on indicators before starting work. If a project was not implemented well or reports were submitted late, funding would be halted. Reporting tracked activities throughout the program's lifespan based on these criteria. Independent evaluations also verified the claims of the implementers.
Challenges in Performance Evaluation
However, this mechanism did not actually belong to the Office of Counterterrorism. Compared to other agencies, this office hardly utilized these evaluation models, and in many cases, efforts to create transparency and accountability fell short. As a result, even with substantial costs, serious questions arise regarding the actual effectiveness of these projects.
Now, it is time to address whether these expenditures have truly achieved their expected goals. The inability to accurately and transparently assess performance can have serious consequences for future U.S. counterterrorism policies.
