Changes Are Needed in Operating Military Resorts

The military services operate wide-ranging recreational facilities to improve troop morale. The largest is the Army's Armed Forces Recreation Center in Garmisch, Germany. It has hotels, golf courses, ski slopes, and numerous other facilities and cost $19 million to run in fiscal year 1975. Half the cost came from funds appropriated by the Congress, the other half was paid by users of the Center. Smaller resorts are also operated in Hawaii and the Republic of the Philippines at a cost of $10,5 million, $3.1 million of which was from appropriated funds. In 1972 the House Armed Services Committee criticized the way the Army was running the Garmisch Center and recommended a management overhaul to remedy suspected fraud and reduce the Center's excessive costs. Since then the Army has made several improvements, but changes have been slow and others are needed.