U.S. Department of State Fiscal Year 2019 Agency Financial Report

construction-in-progress. After these projects are substantially complete, costs are transferred to Buildings and Structures or Leasehold Improvements, as appropriate. Depreciation is computed on a straight-line basis over the asset’s estimated life and begins when the property is placed into service. The estimated useful lives for real property are as follows: Asset Category Estimated Useful Life Land Improvements 30 years Buildings and Structures 10 to 50 years Assets Under Capital Lease Lease term or 30 years Leasehold Improvements Lesser of lease term or 10 years Personal Property Personal property consists of several asset categories including aircraft, vehicles, security equipment, communication equipment, automated data processing (ADP) equipment, reproduction equipment, and software. The Department holds title to these assets, some of which are operated in unusual conditions, as described below. The Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INL) uses aircraft to help eradicate and stop the flow of illegal drugs. To accomplish its mission, INL maintains an aircraft fleet that is one of the largest Federal, nonmilitary fleets. Most of the aircraft are under direct INL air wing management. However, a number of aircraft are managed by host-countries. The Department holds title to most of the aircraft under these programs and requires congressional notification to transfer title for any aircraft to foreign governments. INL contracts with firms to provide maintenance support depending on whether the aircraft are INL air wing managed or host-country managed. INL air wing managed aircraft are maintained to Federal Aviation Administration standards that involve routine inspection, as well as scheduled maintenance and replacements of certain parts after given hours of use. Host-country managed aircraft are maintained to host-country requirements, which are less than Federal Aviation Administration standards. The Department also maintains a large vehicle fleet that operates overseas. Many vehicles require armoring for security reasons. For some locations, large utility vehicles the straight-line method for Gift Funds investments, and effective interest method for the other accounts. Additional information on Investments can be found in Note 3. J. Property and Equipment Real Property Real property assets primarily consist of facilities used for U.S. diplomatic missions abroad and capital improvements to these facilities, including unimproved land; residential and functional-use buildings such as embassy/consulate office buildings; office annexes and support facilities; and construction-in-progress. Title to these properties is held under various conditions including fee simple, restricted use, crown lease, and deed of use agreement. Some of these properties are considered historical treasures and are considered multi-use heritage assets. These items are reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheet, in Note 6 to the financial statements, and in the Heritage Assets Section. The Department also owns several domestic real properties, including the National Foreign Affairs Training Center (Arlington, Va.); the International Center (Washington, D.C.); the Charleston Financial Services Center (S.C.); the Beltsville Information Management Center (Md.); the Florida Regional Center (Ft. Lauderdale); and consular centers in Charleston, S.C., Portsmouth, N.H., and Williamsburg, Ky. The Foreign Missions Act authorizes the Department to facilitate the secure and efficient operation in the United States of foreign missions. The Act established the Office of Foreign Missions to manage acquisitions, including leases, additions, and sales of real property by foreign missions. In certain cases, based on reciprocity, the Department owns real property in the United States that is used by foreign missions for diplomatic purposes. The IBWC owns buildings and structures related to its boundary preservation, flood control, and sanitation programs. Buildings and structures are carried at either actual or estimated historical cost. The Department capitalizes all costs for constructing new buildings and building acquisitions regardless of cost, and all other improvements of $1 million or more. Costs incurred for constructing new facilities, major rehabilitations, or other improvements in the design or construction stage are recorded as 72 | U nited S tates D epartment of S tate 2019 A gency F inancial R eport FINANCIAL SECTION | NOTES TO THE PRINCIPAL FINANCIAL STATEMENTS