Evaluation of the Army's Civilian Marksmanship Program

GAO discussed the mission, usefulness, and cost of the Army Civilian Marksmanship Program. GAO found that: (1) the program's basic mission was to provide rifle marksmanship training to U.S. civilians subject to induction into the military; (2) the program spent $4.2 million in fiscal year (FY) 1987, $3.9 million in FY 1988, and $4.3 million in FY 1989; and (3) 93 percent of the budget for fiscal years 1990 through 1994 was planned for program staff, ammunition, and national shooting matches. GAO also found that: (1) the program was of limited value to military preparedness; (2) the program was not included in the Army's overall mobilization plans or training strategy; (3) there were no Army requirements for civilians trained in marksmanship; and (4) there was no program to train, certify, and track program instructors who could augment the mobilization training base.