Developing an affordable plan to ensure that U.S. forces are ready to conduct missions at home and abroad now and in the future is critical to the nation’s security.
Since 9/11, U.S. forces have operated at a high pace and gained considerable combat experience. Yet, operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a toll on readiness, especially in the Army and Marine Corps. For example, personnel are deploying frequently and have little time to train for anything other than counterinsurgency missions. Equipment is repeatedly used, causing heavy wear and tear. Units that are not deployed are transferring equipment and personnel to deploying units, causing some shortfalls.
Further, once any decision is made to reposture U.S. forces from Iraq, DOD will need to address various issues which have cost and readiness implications, including infrastructure requirements of returning units, requirements for training and equipment reset, and increased demand for health care services for redeploying servicemembers.
Rebuilding readiness is a complex and costly effort but will be even more challenging because, at the same time, the Department of Defense is pursuing broad-based initiatives to grow, modernize, and transform its forces. In light of the nation’s financial challenges, a new administration and Congress will need to evaluate the department’s plans and establish clear priorities that are achievable within expected resource levels.
DOD and the military services need to take several actions to enhance their efforts to rebuild readiness, as well as modernize and transform force capabilities:
DOD needs to develop near-term plans to improve the readiness of its ground forces that include measurable goals, validated requirements, prioritized resource needs, and performance measures to gauge progress.
The Army and the Marine Corps need to establish equipment reset strategies that address equipment shortages in the near term to minimize operational risk and meet the needs of deploying units.
The services need to collect and maintain comprehensive data on the various strategies they use to meet personnel and unit requirements for ongoing operations, as well as determine the impact of these strategies on the readiness of nondeployed forces (GAO-07-780 and GAO-08-497T).
The Army needs to develop planning and funding estimates for staffing and equipping the modular force, as well as provide information to Congress on its plan to increase the size of its force—including data on the force structure to be created by this initiative, implementation timelines, cost estimates, and a funding plan (GAO-08-145 and GAO-08-354R).
Military Operations: Implementation of Existing Guidance and Other Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Oversight and Management of Contractors in Future Operations
Defense Logistics: Army and Marine Corps Cannot Be Assured That Equipment Reset Strategies Will Sustain Equipment Availability While Meeting Ongoing Operational Requirements
Rebuilding Iraq: DOD and State Department Have Improved Oversight and Coordination of Private Security Contractors in Iraq, but Further Actions Are Needed to Sustain Improvements
Force Structure: Ship Rotational Crewing Initiatives Would Benefit from Top-Level Leadership, Navy-wide Guidance, Comprehensive Analysis, and Improved Lessons-Learned Sharing
Military Operations: Implementation of Existing Guidance and Other Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Oversight and Management of Contractors in Future Operations
Force Structure: Better Management Controls Are Needed to Oversee the Army's Modular Force and Expansion Initiatives and Improve Accountability for Results
Defense Logistics: Army and Marine Corps Cannot Be Assured That Equipment Reset Strategies Will Sustain Equipment Availability While Meeting Ongoing Operational Requirements
DOD's High-Risk Areas: Efforts to Improve Supply Chain Can Be Enhanced by Linkage to Outcomes, Progress in Transforming Business Operations, and Reexamination of Logistics Governance and Strategy
Military Base Closures: Projected Savings from Fleet Readiness Centers Likely Overstated and Actions Needed to Track Actual Savings and Overcome Certain Challenges
Force Structure: Joint Seabasing Would Benefit from a Comprehensive Management Approach and Rigorous Experimentation before Services Spend Billions on New Capabilities