Summary: Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Peace Corps' reorganization of overseas posts in the Eastern Caribbean region.
GAO found that: (1) the Peace Corps' original 1988 reorganization plan called for the division of management responsibilities at Barbados to posts at Antigua and Grenada to remedy operational problems in the region; (2) the Peace Corps was not aware of a presidential defense directive requiring formal Department of State approval for staffing changes at the Antigua and Grenada posts, and the resultant administrative delays did not allow the Peace Corps to fully implement the plan; (3) the Peace Corps adopted a new plan based on a 1989 evaluation of its operations recommending that it reduce its volunteer personnel in certain Eastern Caribbean regions, thereby enabling it to centralize management at St. Lucia under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Embassy in Barbados; and (4) the Peace Corps received approval for the new reorganization plan from the Barbados embassy in December 1989, and expected to complete the reorganization by the end of 1990.
