The U.S. Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which is tasked with countering disinformation, has been unable to completely fulfill its aim of exposing foreign propaganda, according to the department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG).
“Despite having a clear legal mandate to coordinate Department and interagency efforts to counter propaganda and disinformation by foreign state and non-state actors, the center’s legacy organizational structure, insufficient internal controls to properly manage contractors, and a limited strategic planning process affected its ability to fully meet its mission,” a Sept. 15 report by the OIG states (pdf).
The GEC was established in 2016 to counter terrorist propaganda, and its role was later expanded to coordinate government efforts and various agencies for countering and exposing foreign disinformation. The center has a budget of $74 million and employs 167 staff members who are mostly non-government contractors….