Defense: Prepositioning Programs (2011-07)
Improved joint oversight of the Department of Defense's prepositioning programs for equipment and supplies may reduce unnecessary duplication.
Year Identified: 2011
Area Number: 7
Area Type: Fragmentation, Overlap & Duplication
6 Total Action(s)
The Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to strengthen the Department of Defense's (DOD) joint oversight of its prepositioned stocks through such actions as clarifying lines of authority and reporting between the joint preposition working group and other components within DOD.
The Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to strengthen the Department of Defense's (DOD) joint oversight of its prepositioned stocks through such actions as clarifying lines of authority and reporting between the joint preposition working group and other components within DOD.
On February 25, 2020, DOD published its updated Pre-Positioned War Reserve Materiel Strategic Implementation Plan which details a Joint Oversight Framework. This framework describes the roles and responsibilities that multiple DOD stakeholders have over the prepositioned stocks programs, along with the related governance structure, which meets the intent of GAO's May 2011 recommendation and will help DOD strengthen its oversight of its prepositioning programs.
The Secretary of Defense should direct the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretaries of the military services to synchronize at a department-wide level, as appropriate, the services' prepositioning programs so that they include updated requirements and maximize efficiency in managing prepositioned assets and activities across the department to reduce unnecessary duplication.
The Secretary of Defense should direct the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Secretaries of the military services to synchronize at a department-wide level, as appropriate, the services' prepositioning programs so that they include updated requirements and maximize efficiency in managing prepositioned assets and activities across the department to reduce unnecessary duplication.
The Department of Defense (DOD) agreed with GAO's May 2011 recommendation and has taken some actions, but has not synchronized at a department-wide level the services' prepositioning programs. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2014 required DOD's Strategic Policy for prepositioned materiel and equipment to include "a framework for joint departmental oversight that reviews and synchronizes the services' prepositioning strategies to minimize potentially duplicative efforts and maximize efficiencies in prepositioned material and equipment across the department." (Pub. L. No. 113-66 (2013)) Subsequently, DOD issued in March 2017 its Pre-positioned War Reserve Materiel Strategic Policy.
In July 2017, GAO reported that the Strategic Policy does not address five of the six required elements from section 321(a) of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014 (Pub. L. No. 113-66 (2013)) including a coordinated joint-military service approach for DOD's prepositioned stocks. DOD also submitted a Strategic Implementation Plan, as required under section 321(b), for managing its prepositioned stocks to congressional oversight committees in October 2017. However, GAO reported in January 2019 that DOD's implementation plan did not fully address four of the seven elements required by section 321(b)(2) of the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2014 (Pub. L. No. 113-66 (2013)), nor did the plan provide details on how DOD plans to synchronize the services' prepositioning programs and maximize efficiency in managing prepositioned assets and activities across the department. In February 2020, DOD published its updated Pre-Positioned War Reserve Materiel Strategic Implementation Plan, which lays out a method for joint oversight. In addition, this updated plan fully addressed eight of nine congressionally required elements in public laws from 2013 and 2019.
As of December 2021, DOD officials stated that they had completed a review of the information systems and data related to the military services’ prepositioning programs. Based on the review, DOD has determined that the Defense Readiness Reporting System should be updated to provide a single view capability of information about the services’ programs. Senior DOD leaders approved this approach and the department has planning underway to finalize the capability. However, as of January 2022, DOD officials had not identified related interim milestones or timelines. Until DOD has fully implemented its joint oversight method to synchronize the services' prepositioning programs, it may not be able to minimize potentially duplicative efforts in its prepositioned stocks programs.
The Secretary of Defense should direct the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop strategic guidance that includes planning and resource priorities, linking the department's current and future needs for prepositioned stocks to evolving national defense objectives.
The Secretary of Defense should direct the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop strategic guidance that includes planning and resource priorities, linking the department's current and future needs for prepositioned stocks to evolving national defense objectives.
The Department of Defense (DOD) implemented this action. In March 2017, DOD issued its Pre-positioned War Reserve Materiel (PWRM) Strategic Policy. The Strategic Policy requires the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop and coordinate planning and resource requirements, such as those found in DOD's Guidance for Employment of the Force and the Defense Planning Guidance, so that war materiel and prepositioned war reserve material are appropriately linked to desired capabilities in support of the national defense strategy. In addition, the Strategic Policy requires the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics and the DOD component heads to maintain guidance that includes component-specific requirements for planning and resourcing priorities to address current and future requirements for maintaining prepositioned stocks optimally. This guidance meets the intent of GAO's recommendations and may improve DOD's ability to recognize efficiencies and minimize potentially duplicative efforts in its prepositioned stocks programs.
The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, take steps to fully implement joint oversight of the Department of Defense's (DOD) prepositioned stocks programs, including providing detailed information on how to implement such an oversight approach in department guidance and reviewing other joint oversight efforts, in order to synchronize the military services' prepositioned strategies to avoid fragmentation.
The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, take steps to fully implement joint oversight of the Department of Defense's (DOD) prepositioned stocks programs, including providing detailed information on how to implement such an oversight approach in department guidance and reviewing other joint oversight efforts, in order to synchronize the military services' prepositioned strategies to avoid fragmentation.
DOD agreed with GAO's January 2019 recommendation and has taken some actions. In February 2020, DOD published its updated Pre-Positioned War Reserve Materiel Strategic Implementation Plan which lays out a method for joint oversight. As of December 2021, DOD officials stated that they had completed a review of the information systems and data related to the military services’ prepositioning programs. Based on the review, DOD has determined that the Defense Readiness Reporting System should be updated to provide a single view capability of information about the services’ prepositioned programs. Senior DOD leaders approved this approach and the department has planning underway to finalize the capability. However, as of January 2022, DOD officials had not identified related interim milestones or timelines. Until DOD has fully employed its joint oversight method, the department may not be able to address its fragmented management approach of its prepositioned stock program.
The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, update Congress on the department's progress in joint oversight management in its prepositioned stocks annual report or in a separate report.
The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, update Congress on the department's progress in joint oversight management in its prepositioned stocks annual report or in a separate report.
On February 25, 2020, the Department of Defense (DOD) published its updated Pre-Positioned War Reserve Materiel Strategic Implementation Plan which details a Joint Oversight Framework. This framework describes the roles and responsibilities that multiple DOD stakeholders have over the prepositioned stocks programs, along with the related governance structure. In addition, on March 2, 2020, DOD submitted this plan to congressional oversight committees. This action meets the intent of GAO's January 2019 recommendation and will inform Congress on the department's progress in joint oversight management.
The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, develop and implement a new reporting mechanism or information-collection tool, or modify existing mechanisms or tools, to gather complete information about the military services’ prepositioning programs for joint oversight purposes and to reduce potential duplication and fragmentation.
The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Sustainment, in coordination with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, develop and implement a new reporting mechanism or information-collection tool, or modify existing mechanisms or tools, to gather complete information about the military services’ prepositioning programs for joint oversight purposes and to reduce potential duplication and fragmentation.
DOD agreed with GAO’s March 2021 recommendation and has taken some action. As of December 2021, DOD officials stated that they had completed a review of the information systems and data related to the military services’ prepositioning programs. Based on the review, DOD has determined that the Defense Readiness Reporting System should be updated to provide a single view capability of information about the services’ programs. Senior DOD leaders approved this approach and the department has planning underway to finalize the capability. However, as of January 2022, DOD officials had not identified related interim milestones or timelines. Once DOD has fully developed and implemented the capability, it could better identify gaps or redundancies in the services’ prepositioned programs, make more informed decisions to mitigate asset shortfalls and challenges, reduce potential duplication and fragmentation, and improve its joint oversight.
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