Oct. 6, 2015

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton, NJ

"No More Free Lunch: Afghan Aid with a Purpose"Thank you, Dr. Shapiro, for that kind introduction. And thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for allowing me to share this time with you this afternoon to discuss what I would argue is one of the most important issues that will face our nation for generations to come - namely, how to do a better job of

Sept. 22, 2015

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at the Royal United Services Institute, London, UK

"Obstacles and Opportunities in Afghanistan"Director Clarke, ladies and gentlemen, good evening. I am delighted to be in Great Britain again, and honored to be appearing at this venerable institute.The Duke of Wellington conceived the idea of the Royal United Services Institute in 1831, more than 150 years before the United States Congress thought

Sept. 10, 2015

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at Georgetown University, Washington, DC

"Ground Truths: Honestly Assessing Reconstruction in Afghanistan"Good afternoon. I am John Sopko, and I am thrilled to be here once again to speak at Georgetown. Accordingly, I would like to thank Dr. McNaugher, the Center for Security Studies, and the School of Foreign Service for the invitation. It is always a pleasure to be here, and I am really

May 13, 2015

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, DC

“Budgets and Bullets: Taking Stock of the Afghan Security Forces”Good morning. It is a great pleasure to be here with you this morning at CSIS. I want to thank Dr. Cordesman for the opportunity to talk about taking stock of Afghanistan’s security forces, understanding their capabilities, and determining their prospects for long-term sustainability.

May 5, 2015

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY

“Afghanistan Reconstruction: Fact vs. Fantasy”Good evening. I am John Sopko, and I am delighted to be here with you. I thank Weill Cornell Medical College for the invitation, and especially the kind introduction. Obviously, the thought was that with your expertise in treating intractable diseases, you would also be interested in Afghanistan

Dec. 10, 2014

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, D.C.

Good morning. Thank you, Sarah Chayes, for that kind introduction.As the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, I speak at a wide variety of venues, but speaking to the Carnegie Endowment is special. Carnegie does good work in many fields, and that work reminds IGs like me that our mission in Afghanistan is about more than

Sept. 12, 2014

Remarks Prepared for Delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.

Good Afternoon,Thank you Dr. McNaugher for that kind introduction. I want to thank you and your colleagues for inviting me to speak today. I’m always excited to discuss our office’s work and the U.S. reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. But I am especially so today since many of you will become the future architects and enablers of foreign and

Sept. 3, 2014

Remarks prepared for delivery by Deputy Inspector General Gene Aloise at the CIGIE Federal Audit Executive Council Annual Conference, Alexandria, Virginia

“Transparency—For the IGs and the Public Interest”Good afternoon and thank you for this opportunity to talk about the work of SIGAR.John Sopko, the IG, is still recovering from knee surgery and sends his regrets that he could not be with you. I happily agreed to stand in for him, because John and I share a keen interest in effective oversight and a

May 28, 2014

Remarks prepared for delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at the Effective Development in Conflict Zones Conference, San Diego, California

Good morning,Thank you for that kind introduction. I am pleased to be here today to discuss some of the lessons we have learned from the 12-year reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. This is a fitting venue since all of you are on the forefront of an on-going and challenging effort to improve development in conflict zones.I want to thank the U.S.

May 14, 2014

Remarks prepared for delivery by Special Inspector General John F. Sopko at the Middle East Institute, Washington, D.C.

Good morning.I am pleased to be here today to discuss some of the lessons learned during the 12-year reconstruction effort in Afghanistan. This is a fitting venue since for almost 70 years the Middle East Institute has dedicated itself to the critical mission of being an unbiased source of information and analysis on the Middle East and South Asia.