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Imminent Danger Pay: Actions Needed Regarding Pay Designations in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility

GAO-14-230R Published: Jan 30, 2014. Publicly Released: Jan 30, 2014.
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Highlights

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) obligated more than $1 billion in imminent danger pay from fiscal years 2010 through 2013 in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility, excluding Afghanistan, according to data from the military services. In June 2011, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness requested the geographic Combatant Commands to assess existing imminent danger pay areas. The last such review had been completed in 2007. In January 2013, the U.S. Central Command recommended terminating imminent danger pay designations in many locations within its area of responsibility. However, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness had not completed its current review or made a decision as of December 20, 2013, when we transmitted a draft of our report to DOD. DOD's guidance on imminent danger pay requires a periodic review but neither specifies the frequency with which periodic reviews must be completed, nor stipulates a time frame by which the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness should render a final decision regarding the findings of the review. The Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government highlights, among other things, the importance of management-led reviews and clear policies and procedures as well as assurance that the findings of reviews are promptly resolved. In the absence of clear procedures and policies specifying time frames for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to complete reviews of imminent danger pay area designations and render a final decision, DOD is spending millions of dollars annually for imminent danger pay in areas within U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility that may not warrant this designation.

Why GAO Did This Study

DOD relies on forward-stationed or rotationally deployed forces, bases and infrastructure, and host nation agreements to execute its mission around the world. This combination of forces, footprint, and agreements constitutes DOD's defense posture in a given geographic region.

In December 2012, GAO began work reviewing DOD's posture in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, as part of series of reports examining DOD's global defense posture initiatives in response to direction from the Senate Appropriations Committee. As part of this review on posture in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, GAO examined posture costs in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility--including special pays, such as imminent danger pay, and benefits for service members who are assigned, deployed, or on temporary duty travel. In the course of that review, GAO identified issues related to DOD's process for reviewing and making decisions on imminent danger pay area designations, with regard to the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility.

To conduct this work, GAO analyzed imminent danger pay and family housing cost data in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility from the military departments for fiscal years 2010 through 2013. To assess the reliability of the data, we interviewed cognizant DOD officials regarding the accuracy of data entry, limitations of the data, and the results of previous audits conducted on the data systems used. We determined the data were sufficiently reliable for the purposes of our review. GAO reviewed, and compared DOD Instruction 1340.09, Hostile Fire Pay and Imminent Danger Pay with GAO's Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government to evaluate the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness's process for reviewing imminent danger pay designated locations. Further, GAO obtained documentation from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and U.S. Central Command related to U. S. Central Command's recommendation to terminate imminent danger pay.

Recommendations

GAO recommends that the Secretary of Defense direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to take the following two actions:

1. expeditiously complete the review of the imminent danger pay area designations in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility and decide whether to adopt the U.S. Central Command and the Joint Staff's recommendations; and

2. revise its guidance on imminent danger pay area designations to include specific time frames for completing periodic reviews of imminent danger pay area designations.

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to expeditiously complete the review of the imminent danger pay area designations in the U.S. Central Command's area of responsibility and decide whether to adopt the U.S. Central Command and the Joint Staff's recommendations.
Closed – Implemented
In response to GAO's report on Imminent Danger Pay: Actions Needed Regarding Pay Designations in the U.S. Central Command Area of Responsibility (GAO-14-230R), DOD concurred with the recommendation and subsequently terminated imminent danger pay designations in a number of locations worldwide to take effect June 1, 2014. DOD officials stated that they projected that the recertification and terminations, which were taken as a result of GAO's recommendation, would save the department approximately $50 million in imminent danger pay costs in fiscal year 2014 and would save the department $150 million for each full fiscal year at fiscal year 2014 deployment numbers. Based on these estimates, GAO projects that DOD's actions will save the department approximately $740 million through five years.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to revise its guidance on imminent danger pay area designations to include specific time frames for completing periodic reviews of imminent danger pay area designations.
Closed – Implemented
USD P&R did not concur with the recommendation. On January 26, 2018, the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness issued an updated DOD Instruction (1340.09): Hazard Pay Program. This updated instruction outlines policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes procedures for the administration of the DOD Hazard Pay Program. The responsibilities include a more prescribed approach that should better assist DOD in making more timely decisions about whether circumstances in a geographic area warrant the continuation on imminent danger pay. This action is in line with the intent of our recommendation.

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Topics

Armed forces abroadAuditing standardsCombat readinessCost analysisData entryDecision makingDefense economic analysisHostile fire payHousing allowancesInternal controlsMilitary compensationMilitary forcesMilitary personnelSchedule slippagesTerrorismWarfare