Defense Ammunition: Significant Problems Left Unattended Will Get Worse
NSIAD-96-129
Published: Jun 21, 1996. Publicly Released: Jun 21, 1996.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the status of the Department of Defense's (DOD) ammunition stockpile, focusing on: (1) the amount of excess ammunition in the stockpile; and (2) problems related to the stockpile's management.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| To impress upon the services the need to address the problem of excess ammunition, Congress may wish to consider requiring the Secretary of Defense to report annually the amount of ammunition on hand and the amount that exceeds established requirements. This report could also cite progress made in addressing specific ammunition stockpile management problems, including identifying ammunition in excess of established requirements, cross-sharing of ammunition in excess of established requirements among services that have shortages, inspecting and testing ammunition, and disposing of excess ammunition when it no longer makes sense to retain it. With this information, Congress could make more informed annual budget decisions related to the ammunition stockpile. |
Closed – Not Implemented
|
Congress has not initiated action on this recommendation. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To facilitate implementation of the single manager's plan for storing, maintaining, and disposing of ammunition, the Secretary of Defense should develop incentives to encourage the military services to categorize their ammunition as required or as excess to stated requirements, to update this information annually, and to relinquish control of their excess ammunition to the Army single manager for distribution to other services that have shortages of ammunition or for disposal when it no longer makes sense to retain it. |
Closed – Implemented
The Assistant Deputy Under Secretary (Material and Distribution Management) stated on August 21, 1996 that the DOD positions on the report issues remain unchanged in that DOD did not concur with this recommendation. DOD stated that it was aware of the problems addressed in the report. DOD indicated that it has established an Ammunition Management Integrated Process Team to review the cross-leveling procedures and to recommend improvements. Additionally, DOD created a new budget exhibit that will provide the necessary inventory management information so that it can transfer excess assets between military departments.
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Topics
AmmunitionCombat readinessDefense contingency planningDefense cost controlFederal supply systemsInspectionInventory controlMilitary inventoriesSurplus federal propertyTesting