Careers
Defense Capabilities and Management
Our Work
Recent Accomplishments
Ongoing Projects
Key Contacts
Our Work
The Defense Capabilities and Management team leads GAO’s efforts to support congressional oversight of the Department of Defense (DOD) as it modernizes to meet a broad array of threats in the 21st century. Sustaining DOD’s military force costs taxpayers over $630 billion annually, including the supplemental appropriations to support the war on terrorism and other needs. Charting the future makeup and use of the military forces is a major issue facing Congress and the President, as are efforts to dramatically restructure DOD personnel and business practices. To assist Congress, we study a wide range of current and future defense issues.
We provide timely analyses, recommendations, and policy options to congressional and executive branch officials to improve federal policies and programs in the following areas of defense:
- planning and force structure;
- operations and readiness;
- emerging threats, warfare, and homeland defense;
- military and civilian personnel;
- logistics;
- infrastructure;
- business operations; and
- budgeting.
We plan and conduct work at locations in the United States and around the world.
Recent Accomplishments
- Reviewing high unobligated balances in DOD’s operations and maintenance accounts and reductions in appropriations for the global war on terrorism and for military personnel; congressional actions taken based on these reviews saved taxpayers over $8.3 billion.
- Providing assistance to Congress and the executive branch in nonmonetary areas, such as
- improving security of U.S. airspace and the role of the National Guard;
- improving the personnel security clearance process to clear up the large backlog of clearances;
- improving antiterrorism protection for in-transit military forces;
- protecting the health of service members;
- identifying improvements needed in how the military plans for and responds to catastrophic disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina;
- enhancing use of privatization for improving military family housing;
- improving DOD’s efforts to recruit and retain enlisted personnel; and
- transforming military forces to meet 21st century challenges.
Ongoing Projects
- Assessing the cost of repairing and replacing large amounts of military equipment used in the war in Iraq.
- Assessing DOD’s efforts to provide body armor and equipment armor.
- Assessing DOD’s requirements process for identifying overlaps in intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
- Evaluating DOD actions to improve the availability of critical supplies for military operations, such as the war in Iraq.
- Evaluating DOD’s overall management and planning approach to transforming its business operations and its progress in addressing long-standing weaknesses in key areas designated by GAO as high risk because of vulnerability to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement.
- Analyzing regular and supplemental budget requests for affordability and consistency with strategic plans.
- Assessing the costs and operational impacts of DOD’s plans to restructure its active and reserve forces and overseas bases in response to global threats.
- Assessing the costs of implementing DOD’s National Security Personnel System for DOD civilian employees.
- Assessing the total government compensation of members of the active and reserve components.
- Assessing DOD’s ability to maintain adequate readiness levels to support ongoing operations and other commitments.
- Evaluating the use in ongoing operations of specialized operational capabilities, such as special operations forces and unmanned aircraft systems.
- Assessing DOD’s implementation of base realignment and closure decisions.
- Assessing preparedness and protection of military forces and critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks and other threats and hazards.
Key Contacts
Managing Director: Janet St. Laurent
Directors: Davi M. D’Agostino, Brenda S. Farrell, Brian Lepore, John Pendleton, Sharon Pickup, William Solis
Phone: (202) 512-4300
Mailing Address:
U.S. Government Accountability Office
Defense Capabilities and Management
Room 4440B
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20548