Naval Air Operations: Interservice Cooperation Needs Direction From Top
NSIAD-93-141
Published: May 19, 1993. Publicly Released: Jun 18, 1993.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO identified issues that significantly affected naval aircraft performance during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should develop a comprehensive plan to ensure that naval forces continue recent efforts to improve their ability to operate in a joint team environment in concert with the other services. The plan should include joint training goals and objectives specifying how naval forces, including air, land, and sea forces, will fulfill the roles and missions identified in the new naval strategy. |
Closed – Implemented
While GAO takes issue with many of the points in DOD's official response, GAO sees demonstrated movement toward greater jointness in the naval air community and in the Navy/Marine Corps as a whole. The follow-on GAO assignment is pursuing specific details concerning Navy/Marine Corps progress in this area. The follow-on assignment is "Effectiveness of JCS Management of Joint Training," code 703041.
|
| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should develop a comprehensive plan to ensure that naval forces continue recent efforts to improve their ability to operate in a joint team environment in concert with the other services. The plan should include specific steps, time frames, and funding allocations for achieving the Navy and Marine Corps' joint training goals and objectives. The plan should identify what types of joint training will best accomplish naval goals and ensure that appropriate naval forces receive this training. For example, efforts could include standardizing naval participation in service-sponsored joint training such as Blue and Red Flag exercises, as well as unit-to-unit joint training with other services. |
Closed – Implemented
While GAO takes issue with many of the points in DOD's official response, GAO sees demonstrated movement toward greater jointness in the naval air community and in the Navy/Marine Corps as a whole. The follow-on GAO assignment is pursuing specific details concerning Navy/Marine Corps progress in this area. The follow-on assignment is "Effectiveness of JCS Management of Joint Training," code 703041.
|
| Department of the Navy | The Secretary of the Navy should develop a comprehensive plan to ensure that naval forces continue recent efforts to improve their ability to operate in a joint team environment in concert with the other services. The plan should include a mechanism for measuring progress made by the Navy and the Marine Corps toward their goals and objectives. |
Closed – Implemented
While GAO takes issue with many of the points in DOD's official response, GAO sees demonstrated movement toward greater jointness in the naval air community and in the Navy/Marine Corps as a whole. The follow-on GAO assignment is pursuing specific details concerning Navy/Marine Corps progress in this area. The follow-on assigment is "Effectiveness of JCS Management of Joint Training," code 703041.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, to develop an interoperability plan, encompassing all military forces, as a follow-on effort to the Chairman's February 1993 report entitled "Roles, Missions, and Functions of the Armed Forces of the United States." As part of this effort, the Chairman should ensure that the services' military capabilities are integrated into an affordable and smoothly functioning team without unwarranted duplication, yet fully supporting the Department of Defense's interoperability goals and budget priorities. |
Closed – Implemented
While GAO takes issue with many of the points in DOD's official response, GAO sees demonstrated movement toward greater jointness in the naval air community and in the Navy/Marine Corps as a whole. The follow-on GAO assignment is pursuing specific details concerning Navy/Marine Corps progress in this area. The follow-on assignment is "Effectiveness of JCS Management of Joint Training," code 703041.
|
| Joint Chiefs of Staff | The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should require the individual services to report back on how and when they will achieve the interoperability goals and provide him with periodic updates on their progress. |
Closed – Implemented
While GAO takes issue with many of the points in DOD's official response, GAO sees demonstrated movement toward greater jointness in the naval air community and in the Navy/Marine Corps as a whole. The follow-on GAO assignment is pursuing specific details concerning Navy/Marine Corps progress in this area. The follow-on assignment is "Effectiveness of JCS Management of Joint Training," code 703041.
|
| Joint Chiefs of Staff | The Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, should periodically report to Congress on the services' progress in achieving the goals. |
Closed – Implemented
While GAO takes issue with many of the points in DOD's official response, GAO sees demonstrated movement toward greater jointness in the naval air community and in the Navy/Marine Corps as a whole. The follow-on GAO assignment is pursuing specific details concerning Navy/Marine Corps progress in this area. The follow-on assignment is "Effectiveness of JCS Management of Joint Training," code 703041.
|
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Topics
Combat readinessDefense contingency planningInteragency relationsMilitary communicationMilitary forcesMilitary interoperability agreementsNaval aircraftNaval aviationNaval trainingNaval warfare