[Request for Advance Decision Regarding Entitlement to Basic Quarters Allowance]

The Army requested an advance decision as to whether an officer was entitled to basic allowance for quarters for the period during which he served with a multinational force. The record indicated that the officer served with the force for a period in excess of 3 months. The officer had no dependents and was authorized to live off base in private quarters. Further, the officer had rented out his quarters during the period in question. GAO noted that Army regulations prohibit service members without dependents from receiving a basic allowance for quarters while on field duty. GAO held that, since a period in excess of 3 months is considered to be field duty, rather than temporary duty, the officer was not entitled to the allowance claimed.