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Influenza Pandemic: DOD Has Taken Important Actions to Prepare, but Accountability, Funding, and Communications Need to be Clearer and Focused Departmentwide

GAO-06-1042 Published: Sep 21, 2006. Publicly Released: Oct 20, 2006.
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Highlights

An influenza pandemic would be of global and national significance and could affect large numbers of Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, seriously challenging DOD's readiness. GAO was asked to examine DOD's pandemic influenza preparedness efforts. This report focuses on DOD's planning for its workforce, specifically (1) actions DOD has taken to prepare and (2) challenges DOD faces going forward. GAO analyzed guidance, contracts, and plans, and met with DOD officials.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To improve accountability and oversight of planning efforts across DOD as the department continues its pandemic influenza planning for its workforce, the Secretary of Defense should instruct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, as the individual accountable for DOD's pandemic influenza planning and preparedness efforts, to clearly and fully define and communicate departmentwide the roles and responsibilities of the organizations that will be involved in DOD's efforts, with clear lines of authority; the oversight mechanisms, including reporting requirements, for all aspects of DOD's pandemic influenza planning efforts, to include those tasks that are outside of the national implementation plan; and the goals and performance measures for DOD's planning and preparedness efforts.
Closed – Implemented
In written comments on a draft of the report, DOD generally concurred with the recommendation, noting that the Deputy Secretary of Defense verbally designated the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense, working with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, to lead DOD's pandemic influenza efforts and established a Pandemic Influenza Task Force. This information was communicated throughout the department when the Principal Deputy to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs issued DOD's Implementation Plan for Pandemic Influenza within the department in a July 2006 memo. Additionally, U.S. Northern Command was designated as the lead Combatant Command for directing, planning, and synchronizing DOD's global response to an influenza pandemic; this information was disseminated throughout the department in November 2006.
Department of Defense To improve accountability and oversight of planning efforts across DOD as the department continues its pandemic influenza planning for its workforce, the Secretary of Defense should instruct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense to work with the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) to establish a framework for requesting funding for the department's preparedness efforts. The framework should include the appropriate funding mechanism and controls to ensure that needed funding for DOD's pandemic influenza preparedness efforts is tied to the department's goals.
Closed – Implemented
The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) is utilizing established protocols for programming funds related to pandemic influenza preparedness for DOD. Funding requests for preparedness efforts were submitted as part of the department's fiscal year 2009 integrated program and budget review and long-term funding requests will be included in future budget requests.
Department of Defense To improve accountability and oversight of planning efforts across DOD as the department continues its pandemic influenza planning for its workforce, the Secretary of Defense should instruct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs to clarify DOD's guidance to explicitly define whether or how all types of personnel--including DOD's military and civilian personnel, contractors, dependents, and beneficiaries--would be included in DOD's distribution of vaccines and antivirals and communicate this information departmentwide.
Closed – Implemented
In August 2007, DOD issued additional guidance related to the distribution of its vaccine and antiviral stockpiles in the event of an influenza pandemic.
Department of Defense To improve accountability and oversight of planning efforts across DOD as the department continues its pandemic influenza planning for its workforce, the Secretary of Defense should instruct the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs to implement a comprehensive and effective communications strategy departmentwide that is transparent as to what actions each group of personnel should take and the limitations of the efficacy, risks, and potential side effects of vaccines and antivirals.
Closed – Implemented
In comments on a draft of our report, DOD noted that the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense had developed public affairs guidance that was expected to be issued in September 2006, after our report was issued. DOD included public affairs guidance in its August 2006 pandemic influenza implementation plan, as well as U.S. Northern Command's pandemic influenza plan, which was approved in August 2006. Since the issuance of our report, DOD has updated its publicly available pandemic influenza web site, to include links to the Military Vaccine Agency, which provides information on the risks and side effects of vaccines.

Full Report

Office of Public Affairs

Topics

AccountabilityAvian influenzaDefense communicationsDefense contingency planningDefense operationsEmergency preparednessHealth care planningImmunization programsInfectious diseasesInfluenzaPandemicPerformance measuresProgram evaluationStrategic planningVaccinationProgram goals or objectives