Military Readiness: A Clear Policy Is Needed to Guide Management of Frequently Deployed Units
NSIAD-96-105
Published: Apr 08, 1996. Publicly Released: Apr 08, 1996.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined the United States' military readiness, focusing on the: (1) frequency of deployments in recent years; (2) effects of increased deployment on combat readiness; and (3) Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to limit personnel temporary (PERSTEMPO) deployment.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To provide the oversight and guidance needed for long-term management of PERSTEMPO, the Secretary of Defense should identify key indicators that provide the best measures of deployments' impact on personnel readiness and adjust existing databases to allow research comparing these indicators in high PERSTEMPO units, skill groups, or weapon systems to other such groups. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD agreed to consider GAO's recommendations in concert with those of its own PERSTEMPO Working Group. The Working Group's report incorporated GAO's recommendations, and the Secretary of Defense approved them on November 19, 1996. The services are now required to report PERSTEMPO data to the Defense Manpower Data Center, which will archive and analyze the data to determine the impact of PERSTEMPO on personnel retention and readiness.
|
| Department of Defense | To provide the oversight and guidance needed for long-term management of PERSTEMPO, the Secretary of Defense should issue DOD regulations that guide service management of PERSTEMPO by establishing a DOD-wide definition of deployment. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD agreed to consider GAO's recommendations in concert with those of its own PERSTEMPO Working Group. The Working Group's report incorporated GAO's recommendations, and the Secretary of Defense approved them on November 19, 1996. PERSTEMPO is now managed through Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 3401.01A (Current Readiness System) and the services are now required to adopt a single DOD-wide definition of PERSTEMPO.
|
| Department of Defense | To provide the oversight and guidance needed for long-term management of PERSTEMPO, the Secretary of Defense should issue DOD regulations that guide service management of PERSTEMPO by stating whether each service should have a goal, policy, or regulation stipulating the maximum amount of time units and/or personnel may be deployed. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD agreed to consider GAO's recommendations in concert with those of its own PERSTEMPO Working Group. The Working Group's report incorporated GAO's recommendations, and the Secretary of Defense approved them on November 19, 1996. PERSTEMPO is now managed through Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 3401.01A and the Global Military Force Policy--which helps guide deployment decisions by identifying the impact on readiness of successively higher levels of deployments--and by reporting PERSTEMPO problems in the Joint Monthly Readiness Review.
|
| Department of Defense | To provide the oversight and guidance needed for long-term management of PERSTEMPO, the Secretary of Defense should issue DOD regulations that guide service management of PERSTEMPO by defining the minimum data on PERSTEMPO each service must collect and maintain. |
Closed – Implemented
DOD agreed to consider GAO's recommendations in concert with those of its own PERSTEMPO Working Group. The Working Group's report incorporated GAO's recommendations, and the Secretary of Defense approved them on November 19, 1996. The services are now required to report PERSTEMPO data to the Defense Manpower Data Center, which will archive and analyze the data to determine the impact of PERSTEMPO on personnel retention and readiness.
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Topics
Armed forces abroadCivic actionCombat readinessMilitary personnel deploymentData integrityDefense capabilitiesDefense contingency planningMilitary interventionMilitary operationsMilitary personnelMilitary trainingStaff utilization