DOD's Unaccompanied Enlisted Personnel Housing--Better Living Conditions and Reduced Costs Possible
PLRD-82-59
Published: Apr 30, 1982. Publicly Released: Apr 30, 1982.
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Highlights
In view of the large sums of money that the Department of Defense (DOD) is spending on housing its unaccompanied enlisted personnel, GAO evaluated the military services': (1) efforts to provide adequate housing; (2) efforts to control off-base housing costs; (3) computations of personnel housing requirements; and (4) personnel housing modernization policies, procedures, and practices.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should revise the DOD inventory, occupancy, and utilization reporting requirements so that program managers receive accurate information. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the services to implement the reporting requirements in a timely manner. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should redirect the services to uniformly adopt and implement the DOD minimum standards for adequacy of assigning personnel to existing adequate housing. In the case of the Air Force, this would mean lowering the standard for certain personnel to the DOD minimum standards, which would reduce off-base housing costs. |
Closed – Not Implemented
Since DOD feels that its standards are the minimum rather than the maximum, it feels the Air Force is in compliance.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the services to explore the opportunities to use underutilized, unaccompanied enlisted personnel housing (UEPH) space of other services when appropriate and to cooperate with services seeking to use those assets. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the services to closely review installations' programming of construction and modernization projects to identify and take advantage of opportunities to reduce off-base housing costs. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should redirect the services to discontinue use of unit integrity in making room assignments where such assignments are resulting in underutilized housing and eligible personnel are living off base at additional cost to the government. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the services to thoroughly review the UEPH deficits for currently programmed and funded, and/or planned UEPH construction projects and cancel, where economical to do so, unneeded projects, in particular, at Redstone Arsenal, Charleston Naval Station, Norfolk Naval Station, and Norfolk Naval Air Station. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the services to defer programming additional UEPH facilities until an accurate UEPH inventory is established. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the services to verify the personnel strengths upon which the UEPH requirements are based. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the services to measure the UEPH assets based on maximum capacities under the DOD minimum standards of adequacy or new construction criteria as appropriate. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the services to use underutilized space at nearby installations as a means of meeting UEPH needs. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Navy to program UEPH projects for only the portion of ships' crews who are not to be housed in berthing barges during overhauls. |
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD believes that berthing barges provide short term, temporary facilities and should not be considered when determining requirements.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Navy to correct its system for determining UEPH requirements by eliminating consideration of personnel living on ships. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should not approve Air Force UEPH modernization projects which add private or semiprivate bathrooms to UEPH facilities which already meet the minimum DOD standards of adequacy and modernization criteria. |
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD said that the standards were not intended to prohibit improvements above the minimum standards.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should require the services to consider the additional off-base housing costs associated with modernization projects. |
Closed – Implemented
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should limit the UEPH modernization projects to those facilities that will meet the DOD minimum standards of adequacy. |
Closed – Not Implemented
DOD believes that modernization projects which do not result in facilities meeting minimum standards are worthwhile when they result in improved living conditions.
|
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Topics
Appropriated fundsConstruction costsEnlisted personnelHousing constructionInteragency relationsMilitary cost controlMilitary housingPolicy evaluationProgram evaluationMilitary forces