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DOD Training: Opportunities Exist to Reduce the Training Infrastructure

NSIAD-96-93 Published: Mar 29, 1996. Publicly Released: Mar 29, 1996.
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Highlights

GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to reduce its formal training infrastructure, focusing on: (1) the size of the active forces' formal training infrastructure; and (2) planned, completed, or ongoing plans to reduce this infrastructure.

Recommendations

Matter for Congressional Consideration

Matter Status Comments
Because DOD has indicated that it will not take action to correct the problems GAO has identified and the problems are significant, Congress may wish to ensure that DOD addresses the identified problems.
Closed – Implemented
This was not a recommendation to Congress. Therefore, no specific action was intended.

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the DOD Comptroller, as part of the Department's efforts to improve its finance and accounting systems, to provide for the centralized accumulation and tracking of information on institutional training costs. As a minimum, such information should capture and report the costs in each category in terms of military and civilian instructors, student stipends, facilities, contractor-provided services, and base operation and maintenance for the training facilities.
Closed – Implemented
DOD will continue to improve its financial accounting systems to capture cost data on training. However, it does not plan to include the specific cost categories mentioned in the report. In GAO's opinion, it is highly unlikely that DOD will implement the recommendation as specified.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop a long-range plan to guide and measure the services' efforts to reduce the training infrastructure. The plan should identify: (1) how much the training infrastructure should be reduced; (2) how the reductions will be achieved; (3) what it will cost to achieve the reductions; and (4) when the reductions will be accomplished.
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD believes that it already provides the centralized top-down approach for managing its training infrastructure matters. For that reason, it does not plan to implement the recommendation.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should develop a plan that identifies how DOD will deal with excess installations and facilities that are being funded by the training account after the Base Closure and Realignment Commission process is completed.
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD does not believe that it is necessary to establish a process for identifying excess training infrastructure. It believes that the services are always looking for opportunities to reduce it training infrastructure and therefore, does not plan to establish a separate process.

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Topics

Base closuresDefense cost controlDefense economic analysisEducation or training costsMilitary downsizingMilitary facilitiesMilitary trainingPrivatizationMilitary personnelPrivate sector