U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Anthony Kite looks out of an MV-22B Osprey as it prepares to land at the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia, to support Operation United Assistance. Lance Cpl. Andre Dakis/U.S. Marines Corps
U.S. Ebola Operation in West Africa Gets a Watchdog
Pentagon inspector general Rymer to work with deputy from USAID.
The Ebola crisis may have faded from the headlines, but U.S. infrastructure-building operations in West Africa remain sizable enough to merit appointment of a lead inspector general.
Jon Rymer, inspector general of the Defense Department, will broaden his portfolio to be the lead watchdog in Operation United Assistance, according to a Tuesday announcement by Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency Chairman Michael Horowitz.
Catherine Trujillo, acting deputy inspector general of the U.S. Agency for International Development, will be Rymer's assistant, along with Steve Linick, inspector general of the State Department and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.
“I am confident Inspector General Rymer will deliver the independent, objective oversight of Operation United Assistance that the American taxpayers expect and deserve,” said Horowitz, who is the Justice Department’s IG.
Operation United Assistance was launched last November after then-Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called up U.S. Army Reserve and National Guard units to help West Africans build roadways and clinics needed to stem the spread of the deadly virus.
USAID continues an active role in combatting Ebola in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, recruiting private sector health professionals, among other tasks.
Rymer in December was also appointed lead inspector general for the U.S. military operation against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.