Careers

Defense Capabilities and Management

Our Work
Recent Accomplishments
Ongoing Projects
Key Contacts

Our Work

The Defense Capabilities and Management team leads GAO's efforts to support congressional oversight of the Department of Defense (DOD) as it pursues broad-based initiatives to modernize, and transform its forces to address a more diverse range of threats while at the same time drawing down in Afghanistan. Sustaining DOD's military force costs taxpayers over $600 billion a year, including appropriations for contingency operations. Charting the future makeup and use of the military forces is a major issue facing Congress and the President, as are efforts to restructure DOD business practices. To assist Congress, we study a wide range of current and future defense issues.

We provide timely analyses, recommendations, and policy options to congressional and executive branch officials to improve federal policies and programs in the following defense areas:

    • planning and force structure
    • readiness and training
    • warfighter support
    • Emerging threats, irregular warfare, and homeland defense
    • Strategic human-capital management
    • logistics
    • infrastructure
    • business operations
    • budgeting

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Recent Accomplishments

    • Providing objective and reliable information and analyses that contributed to about $5 billion in cost savings at DOD
    • Contributing to properly funding military needs that in turn resulted in financial accomplishments
    • Providing Congress with information on DOD's ability to provide trained and ready forces for military operations
    • Testifying on DOD's management of Arlington National Cemetery
    • Prompting DOD to prevent sexual assault in the military and improve victim support
    • Reporting on the drawdown from Iraq
    • Reporting on costs and projected savings associated with DOD's 2005 Base Closure and Realignment process
    • Contributing to DOD's better oversight of contractors on the battlefield

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Ongoing Projects

    • Assessing overlap, fragmentation, and duplication among defense programs and activities to identify potential opportunities for cost savings
    • Evaluating DOD's overall management and planning approach to transforming its business operations and its progress in addressing long-standing weaknesses in key areas designated by GAO as high risk because of vulnerability to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement
    • Assessing programs for establishing an Intelligence Community joint duty rotation program
    • Assessing DOD's efforts to improve contractor oversight in Afghanistan
    • Assessing the effectiveness and efficiency of DOD's electronic warfare governance structure and planning
    • Assessing DOD's strategic nuclear weapons targeting process and requirements
    • Assessing DOD's efforts to manage its energy needs at home and abroad
    • Assessing DOD's ability to maintain adequate readiness levels to support ongoing operations and other commitments
    • Assessing the costs and operational impacts of DOD's plans to restructure its overseas presence in response to global threats
    • Assessing lessons learned from DOD's 2005 Base Realignment and Closure process
    • Evaluating synchronization of DOD plans for reducing forces in Afghanistan

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Key Contacts

Managing Director: Janet St. Laurent

Directors: Brenda S. Farrell, Brian Lepore, Jay McTigue (Acting),  Zina Merritt, John Pendleton, Sharon Pickup, Cary Russell (Acting)

Phone: (202) 512-4300

Mailing Address:

U.S. Government Accountability Office
Defense Capabilities and Management
Room 4440B
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20548

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