Summary

GAO assessed the current management of the Department of Defense (DOD) joint exercise program to determine the effect of actions taken since a 1979 report and whether opportunities exist for further improvements.

GAO found that corrective actions taken have strengthened the exercise program and its management. The objectives of the program and the procedures for its development are now more clearly defined as a result of revised Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) guidance. In addition, congressional action to transfer program funding from the individual services to JCS has improved program budget development and control. However, GAO found that JCS procedures to define the scope and composition of the exercises were not being followed. In addition, exercise schedules which unified commands prepared for JCS did not include the necessary detailed information, and neither did the commands' analyses and assessments, which often provided only general discussion with limited coverage of the topics required by JCS. Further, program budgets were overestimated because airlift requirements were overstated for 34 of the 45 exercises for which airlift funds were requested in fiscal year 1983. As a result, about $67.5 million was reprogrammed and spent for unbudgeted program costs. In addition, because of many schedule modifications, the executed program was significantly different than the program approved by the executive branch and Congress. Finally, in response to a GAO recommendation, JCS, the Army, and the Air Force have developed systems to identify, assign responsiblity for, and ensure action on exercise problems. However, since these systems were developed independently, they are not providing maximum benefit.