Review: U.S. embassies still not secure

By Matthew Lee ASSOCIATED PRESS | Monday, June 23, 2008

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Despite an intensive $4 billion drive to protect U.S. embassies against violence, at least 150 American missions abroad still fall short of security standards put in place after deadly bombings, the Associated Press has learned.

And it will cost twice that amount to replace or renovate just the most vulnerable of them, according to documents reviewed by the AP.

The push to secure U.S. diplomatic missions began in earnest after bombings of the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania a decade ago, assaults that killed 231 people, including 12 Americans. The security effort took on new urgency after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the U.S., which led to governmentwide vulnerability reviews.

The results so far suggest there's a long way to go to bring all the roughly 265 U.S. embassies and consulates up to standard.

The State Department says it will need about $7.5 billion to construct new buildings at about 50 posts and $850 million for "major rehabilitation" at 40 others through 2013. The figures are contained in the department's Long-Range Overseas Buildings Plan that was sent to Congress last week.

In addition, about 60 other embassies and consulates will need to be replaced or will require substantial work by 2018, according to documents accompanying the 450-page plan, which is labeled "sensitive but unclassified" and not to be shared with foreign governments, according to officials familiar with its contents.

U.S. diplomatic posts fly the Stars and Stripes in capitals around the globe and are among the most high-profile overseas targets for terrorists and protesters. From Baghdad to Beijing to Belgrade, they are lightning rods for violence that has claimed the lives of dozens of diplomats over recent decades.

This year alone, embassies in Bolivia, Chad and Serbia have been attacked or overrun, not to mention the frequent barrages of rocket fire that have landed near the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.

The long-range plan is not a formal request for funding, but more like a wish list of projects deemed critical by specialists in the State Department's real estate, security and regional bureaus. It is updated annually, but action on this year's list is not expected until after the next administration takes office in January.

Nearly all of the facilities identified fail to meet at least some of the strict security requirements implemented after the East Africa bombings, officials said. Those include setting buildings significantly back from major roads and reinforcing walls and windows.

Since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the Bush administration has pumped $4.1 billion into embassy and consulate construction, building 57 new facilities that do meet the security specifications. On top of that, the State Department spends about $100 million a year in security upgrades for the more that 16,100 properties it manages around the world.

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