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Open Recommendations

Service Member Absences: Actions Needed to Improve Response Process
GAO-26-107505
Feb 12, 2026
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12 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should update guidance for responding to service member absences to ensure that it fully addresses the role of mental health issues and potential safety concerns that may arise during the response process. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Chief of Naval Operations updates guidance for responding to service member absences to ensure that it designates time frames for the response process as well as recognizing the role of mental health issues and potential safety concerns that may arise during the response process. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Commandant of the Marine Corps develops guidance on responding to service member absences that includes designated time frames for the response process and addresses the role of mental health issues and potential safety concerns that may arise during the response process. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should update guidance for responding to service member absences to ensure that it designates time frames for the response process and addresses the role of mental health issues and potential safety concerns that may arise during the response process. (Recommendation 4)
Open
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 ensure that the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness issues policy requiring the military services to issue guidance that commanders should presume a service member's absence indicates that they are potentially in danger and should presume absences are most likely involuntary after a specific time period unless available information indicates the absence should be considered voluntary. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Chief of Naval Operations updates guidance to be consistent with and implement DOD's revision to DOD-wide guidance, once completed, requiring that commanders should presume a service member's absence indicates that they are potentially in danger and that the commander should presume absences are most likely involuntary after a specific time period unless available information indicates the absence should be considered voluntary. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

DOD Systems Modernization: Further Action Needed to Improve Travel and Other Business Systems [Reissued with revisions on Feb. 9, 2026]
GAO-26-107663
Feb 09, 2026
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13 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of the Defense Travel Management Office to document the Agile practices relevant to the Defense Travel System program. (Recommendation 1)
Open
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 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of the Defense Travel Management Office to develop and implement clearly identifiable leadership roles and responsibilities for the Defense Travel System modernization effort, including by documenting the lead agency for this effort. (Recommendation 2)
Open
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 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of the Defense Travel Management Office to substantiate compliance for the Defense Travel System with all statutory requirements related to the initial approval and annual certification of business systems and provide rationale on how DOD has achieved compliance. (Recommendation 3)
Open
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 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of the Defense Travel Management Office to integrate interim milestones planned for the upcoming Defense Travel System modernization into the program's overall implementation timeline. (Recommendation 4)
Open
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 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of the Defense Travel Management Office to develop performance metrics that clearly link to goals and milestones in program-wide documentation for the DTS modernization. (Recommendation 5)
Open
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 Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness and the Director of the Defense Travel Management Office to document a consistent process for the elicitation and prioritization of non-functional DTS requirements, such as security, privacy, and system performance requirements. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Defense Research and Engineering: Action Needed to Improve Management and Oversight of Technology Investments
GAO-26-107664
Feb 05, 2026
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Congress Congress should consider providing OUSD(R&E) with budget certification authority for research, development, test and evaluation activities. This would require (1) the secretary of each military department and the head of each defense agency to transmit their department's or agency's proposed budget for research, development, test and evaluation activities for a fiscal year and for the period covered by a future-years defense program to the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering by January 31 of the year preceding the proposed budget's fiscal year; (2) the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to review each proposed budget and determine whether it is adequate; and (3) an appropriate DOD official to report to the congressional defense committees on each proposed budget that the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering determines to not be adequate. (Matter for Consideration 1)
Open
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 Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, and Navy to each develop and issue a science and technology strategy that aligns with the National Defense Science and Technology Strategy to the maximum extent practicable, and to update their strategies as needed to ensure continued alignment. (Recommendation 1)
Open
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 ensure the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering issues guidance for the development of the Critical Technology Area roadmaps. This guidance should identify stakeholders—including from the military departments—to involve when the roadmaps are developed, as well as identify the content to include in the roadmaps. (Recommendation 2)
Open
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 Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to provide annual guidance to the Secretaries of the Air Force, Army, and Navy on the amount of military department investment that OUSD(R&E) considers necessary to ensure alignment to the maximum extent practicable with each Critical Technology Area roadmap. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Missile Warning Satellites: Space Development Agency Should Be More Realistic and Transparent About Risks to Capability Delivery [Reissued with revisions on Feb. 2, 2026]
GAO-26-107085
Feb 02, 2026
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6 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Space Development Agency conducts and documents a tailored technology readiness assessment for new critical technology elements inserted in each future tranche, starting with tranche 3. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Space Development Agency is following the process reflected in the Warfighter Council charter to collaboratively, with warfighter participants, identify, define, and prioritize requirements, and present regular opportunities for interactive feedback and warfighter response. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Space Development Agency develops a prioritized backlog to maintain traceability between overall missile warning and missile tracking requirements and tranche development efforts. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Space Development Agency develops and maintains an architecture-level networked schedule for Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture that reflects both government and contractor activities. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Space Development Agency requires contractors to provide Cost and Software Data Reporting in awarded contracts. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Space Development Agency develops and establishes reliable, data-driven cost estimates and a process for regularly updating these estimates that supports cost-informed decision-making beginning with tranche 3. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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