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Force Structure: Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Ability to Manage, Assess, and Report on Global Defense Posture Initiatives

GAO-09-706R Published: Jul 02, 2009. Publicly Released: Jul 02, 2009.
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Highlights

In its ongoing global realignment of U.S. forces and installations, the Department of Defense (DOD) plans to reduce the number of troops permanently stationed overseas, consolidate overseas bases, and establish a network of smaller forward locations with limited personnel. Realigning the U.S. overseas posture involves closing obsolete and redundant bases, constructing new facilities costing billions of dollars, and ensuring that other needed infrastructure is in place to support realigned forces and missions. These significant changes to force structure both in the United States and overseas are being implemented to enhance operational efficiencies and ensure access during future contingency operations. DOD requests for overseas military construction projects extend around the world including Europe, the Pacific, Southwest Asia, and Central America. For fiscal year 2010, DOD requested approximately $1.5 billion, or 7 percent, of the regular military construction request for overseas military construction. The Congress has supported the DOD's efforts to reassess and realign its overseas posture to better respond to emerging security challenges, but the Senate Appropriations Committee has expressed concerns about the department's ability to effectively manage and accomplish such an ambitious program as well as the fidelity of the global basing plan given the rapidly changing global security environment.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense To build on the steps taken by DOD toward establishing an integrated process to assess and adjust global defense posture and more fully report on progress and costs, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to issue guidance establishing a definition and common terms of reference for global defense posture.
Closed – Implemented
The Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) provides the common DOD definition of global defense posture: "There are three key elements to our defense posture: forward-stationed and rotationally deployed forces, capabilities, and equipment; a supporting overseas network of infrastructure and facilities; and a series of treaty, access, transit, and status-protection agreements and arrangements with allies and key partners." The QDR report also provides a framework for a global force posture that is cooperative and regionally tailored through five guiding principles: 1) Forward-stationed and rotationally deployed U.S. forces continue to be relevant and required. 2) The Department's defense posture will balance the need for a permanent overseas posture that assures allies and partners of U.S. commitments with the need for a flexible ability to respond to contingencies, emerging threats, and global security needs in distant theaters. 3) The U.S. will balance the need for assured access to support ongoing operations with the risk of introducing fragility into its lines of communication. 4) America's defense posture should provide a stabilizing influence abroad and be welcomed by the host nation. 5) America's defense posture will continuously adapt to changes in the strategic environment. Deliberate, ongoing assessment of national interests, military requirements, and the strategic environment should guide U.S. global defense posture planning.
Department of Defense To build on the steps taken by DOD toward establishing an integrated process to assess and adjust global defense posture and more fully report on progress and costs, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop guidance, in conjunction with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, requiring the geographic combatant commands to establish an approach to monitor initiative implementation, assess progress, and report on results.
Closed – Implemented
DOD provided the recommended guidance in CJCSI 3110.01H 10 June 2011 D-1 Enclosure D of the 2010 Joint Strategic Capabilities Plan (JSCP). This guidance reflects lessons learned since the inception of the theater campaign planning construct. Global Defense Posture processes continue to mature and will be incorporated into subsequent revisions of the JSCP.
Department of Defense To build on the steps taken by DOD toward establishing an integrated process to assess and adjust global defense posture and more fully report on progress and costs, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to establish criteria and a process for selecting and assigning lead service responsibilities for future locations.
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD suggested that internal guidance establishes criteria and assigns lead service responsibility; however, our ongoing U.S. Central Command work indicates that DOD is still having issues with reporting fully on global defense posture progress and costs.
Department of Defense To build on the steps taken by DOD toward establishing an integrated process to assess and adjust global defense posture and more fully report on progress and costs, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to modify the annual DOD Global Defense Posture Report to Congress to include the following elements: (1) a definition of global defense posture and how this is applied in identifying initiatives in the report; (2) a comprehensive list of all locations that fall under the definition; (3) the identification of lead service responsibilities to manage and fund each location; and, (4) a total cost estimate to complete each initiative, including expected U.S. government funding and anticipated host nation contributions.
Closed – Implemented
The 2010 U.S. Global Defense Posture Report to Congress includes all of the information DoD agreed to provide, including a definition of global defense posture and a complete list of posture locations with lead Service identification for each. A copy of the report was provided. Global posture is defined in section 1; appendices A through E list posture locations and lead Service designations.
Department of Defense To build on the steps taken by DOD toward establishing an integrated process to assess and adjust global defense posture and more fully report on progress and costs, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense Comptroller to develop a requirement and appropriate guidance for constructing an estimate of total global defense posture costs, which reflects the basic characteristics of a credible cost estimate as discussed in GAO's Cost Estimating Guide.
Closed – Implemented
OUSD(C) provided a copy of guidance in a budget exhibit format. The explanation included with the exhibit states that a specific budget exhibit is required to identify all funding which supports the Department's Global Defense Posture (GDP) initiatives. Individual appropriation lines must be included with each GDP initiative.

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Topics

Defense agreementsDefense capabilitiesDefense contingency planningDefense cost controlDefense economic analysisDefense operationsDefense procurementMilitary appropriationsMilitary downsizingMilitary facilitiesMilitary forcesMilitary operationsMission essential operationsReporting requirementsReports managementRequirements definitionStrategic planningCost awarenessCost estimates