Defense Infrastructure: Opportunity to Improve the Timeliness of Future Overseas Planning Reports and Factors Affecting the Master Planning Effort for the Military Buildup on Guam
Highlights
The Department of Defense (DOD) continues its efforts to reduce the number of troops permanently stationed overseas and consolidate overseas bases. The Senate and conference reports accompanying the fiscal year 2004 military construction appropriation bill directed DOD to develop and GAO to monitor DOD's overseas master plans and to provide annual assessments. The Senate report accompanying the fiscal year 2007 military construction appropriation bill directed GAO to review DOD's master planning effort for Guam as part of these annual reviews. This report examines (1) the changes and challenges described in the fiscal year 2009 master plans, the extent the plans address GAO's prior recommendations, and the plans' timeliness and (2) the status of DOD's master planning efforts for the proposed buildup of military forces and infrastructure on Guam. GAO reviewed the plans and other relevant documents, and visited three overseas combatant commands, various installations, and Guam organizations.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | To inform congressional decisions and ensure proper congressional oversight, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics to initiate a process of developing global defense posture updates earlier each year so that DOD can provide the congressional defense committees the overseas planning report with the administration's annual budget submission. |
DOD has provided its 2011 Global Defense Posture Report to Congress in concert with the submission of the Presidents fiscal year 2012 budget, delivered on February 14, 2011.
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| Department of Defense | To inform congressional decisions and ensure proper congressional oversight, the Secretary of Defense direct the Executive Director of the Joint Guam Program Office to provide the congressional defense committees with annual updates of the Guam working-level plan until a comprehensive master plan is finalized and submitted to Congress. |
DOD agreed with our recommendation to provide the congressional defense committees with annual updates of the Guam working-level plan until a comprehensive master plan is finalized and submitted to Congress. DOD has provided yearly Guam buildup program updates to the congressional defense committees.
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