Military Personnel: Army Needs a Requirement for Capturing Data and Clear Guidance on Use of Military for Civilian or Contractor Positions
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Army does not know the extent to which it used borrowed military personnel during fiscal years 2013 and 2014 because (1) it is unable to distinguish borrowed military personnel from the larger category of special duty personnel in its monthly special duty reports and (2) the Army did not collect complete and accurate data on special duty use through its reporting mechanisms at that time. In addition, because of these shortcomings in its data on borrowed military personnel, the Army does not know the extent to which the use of borrowed military personnel affected readiness and training. An Army regulation requires borrowed military personnel assignments normally should be limited to 90 days, but temporary guidance provided during fiscal years 2013 and 2014 was unclear with respect to any limitation in length. The Army did not track the actual amount of time soldiers served in this temporary status, thereby limiting its ability to monitor this usage. Further, borrowed military personnel were used in various capacities outside of their Military Occupational Specialty including as lifeguards, grounds maintenance personnel, and gym attendants because the Army did not provide specific guidance on what functions it considered appropriate to fill with borrowed military personnel. The Army's monthly reporting requirement on use of borrowed personnel expired at the beginning of fiscal year 2015, so the Army does not now have a requirement to monitor this usage even though Army officials said this usage of borrowed military personnel would continue. Without a continued requirement and clear guidance for identifying and monitoring the extent to which borrowed military personnel are used, the Army risks allocating its resources inefficiently and ineffectively and may be unable to identify any potential problems with this use of personnel, including any impacts on training and readiness.
The Army did not consider full costs in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 when deciding to use borrowed military personnel and the Army did not provide the oversight that was necessary to ensure that commanders documented and reported the full costs of using borrowed military personnel in these years. This is important because the full costs of borrowed military personnel can be greater than civilian personnel performing the same function. GAO reviewed special duty data reported in February 2014, and found that none of the 13 commands and installations reviewed reported the full costs for all military, civilian, and contractor personnel. In March 2013, in addition to Department of Defense (DOD) guidance, the Secretary of the Army directed installations using borrowed military personnel to report the full costs of military personnel in accordance with DOD's cost-estimating policy. However, the Army did not provide sufficient oversight to help ensure commanders documented and reported the full costs of borrowed military personnel. Without Army oversight to help ensure the full costs for the use of borrowed military personnel are considered, documented, and reported, the Army will not have a comprehensive picture of these personnel costs, which may negatively affect its ability to make informed strategic decisions about workforce requirements.
Why GAO Did This Study
To mitigate the effects of budget uncertainty, the Army uses borrowed military personnel to perform tasks previously performed by civilians or contractors. Under Army Regulation 570-4, this use is generally restricted to a limited time and to duties deemed military essential or filling critical requirements, and can be in or outside of a soldier's military occupation. Due to the sequestration of budgetary resources in fiscal year 2013, the Army expected an increased use of these personnel, suspended some requirements in the Army regulation, and required monthly usage reports.
House Report 113-102 included a provision for GAO to review the Army's use of borrowed military personnel. This report examines the extent to which the Army, during fiscal years 2013 and 2014, (1) used borrowed military personnel, and what is known about any readiness and training impacts and (2) considered costs when making decisions for this use. GAO reviewed relevant DOD and Army documents, analyzed cost data, and interviewed cognizant officials. GAO visited selected installations and while not generalizable, information obtained from these site visits provided insight into the use of borrowed military personnel.
Recommendations
GAO recommends that the Army establish a requirement and guidance for monitoring the use of borrowed military personnel and improve oversight of cost reporting. DOD concurred with three recommendations and partially concurred with one. DOD also raised a definitional issue which GAO addresses in this report.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of the Army | To better position the Army to determine the extent to which it is continuing to use borrowed military personnel and to enhance the Army's ability to utilize its total workforce efficiently and effectively as it moves forward, the Secretary of the Army should establish a requirement for collecting, tracking, and reporting data on the use of borrowed military personnel and provide guidance to ensure that data collected are complete and accurate; if other special duty data are included, ensure that the tool contains a method to distinguish borrowed military personnel from other special duty data. |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. GAO's recommendation was based on its finding reported in June 2015 that the Army was unable to distinguish borrowed military personnel use from other special duty use. In its written comments to the report, the Army noted that it had an existing process for oversight and reporting of the use of soldiers replacing or converting functions previously performed by contractors and planned to develop a similar policy to address oversight on soldiers replacing or converting functions previously performed by civilians. The Army stated that language in draft Army Regulation AR 570-4 would address this recommendation by incorporating guidance for the utilization of military manpower. In an October 2022 update, the Army noted that the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act contained a provision requiring the military services to track the extent to which soldiers were used as borrowed military personnel and that given this requirement the Army would determine what actions, if any, it would take to address the Congressional requirement. In May 2024, the Army issued its update to Army Regulation AR 570-4 which defined and eliminated special duty. Furthermore, in November 2024, the Department of Defense issued new guidance, DTM 24-007, which in addition to defining borrowed military manpower (personnel) also establishes reporting requirements for the Army and the other military services. This policy requires that the military services report the total number of military personnel performing borrowed military personnel duties for 6 consecutive months or more and the number of military personnel who perform non-military essential duties for 30 or more consecutive days. By taking these actions, the Army has ensured that the data related to borrowed military personnel is collected, tracked, and reported and are complete and accurate; this meets the intent of the recommendation.
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| Department of the Army | To better position the Army to determine the extent to which it is continuing to use borrowed military personnel and to enhance the Army's ability to utilize its total workforce efficiently and effectively as it moves forward, the Secretary of the Army should issue guidance that includes procedures for tracking the amount of time soldiers are used as borrowed military personnel. |
The Army concurred with this recommendation. GAO's recommendation was based on its finding that the Army was unable to determine the amount of time soldiers were used as borrowed military personnel. In its written comments to the report, the Army stated that Army Regulation 570-4 allowed for the use of soldiers for training purposes or for temporary functions. Additionally, the Army noted that a draft of the updated regulation would limit the use of borrowed military personnel to 90 days per soldier per calendar year and as such would negate a tracking requirement. The Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act contained a provision requiring the military services to track the extent to which soldiers were used as borrowed military personnel. In May 2024, The Army issued an updated version of Army Regulation 570-4 which established limits on the time that soldiers could be used as borrowed military personnel. Additionally, in November 2024, the Department of Defense new guidance, DTM 24-007, which defined tracking requirements for the use of borrowed military personnel including the duration that servicemembers were used to perform those functions. By issuing the revised Army guidance and implementing the new Department of Defense guidance, the Army will be better positioned to track the amount of time that soldiers are used as borrowed military personnel which meets the intent of this recommendation.
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| Department of the Army | To better position the Army to determine the extent to which it is continuing to use borrowed military personnel and to enhance the Army's ability to utilize its total workforce efficiently and effectively as it moves forward, the Secretary of the Army should revise Army Regulation 570-4 to include guidance to senior commanders for approving the use of soldiers for positions or functions outside their occupational specialty on a rotational basis for an enduring period. |
The Army partially concurred with this recommendation. GAO's recommendation was based on it's finding that commanders were using borrowed military personnel in various capacities outside of the military occupational specialties because of unclear guidance on the appropriate use of borrowed military personnel. In its written comments to the report, the Army noted that they were in the process of incorporating guidance to commanders on the use of borrowed military personnel in an updated version of Army Regulation 570-4. In May 2024, the Army issued an updated version of the guidance which defines when using soldiers as borrowed military personnel is appropriate. The updated guidance also puts limits on soldiers in selected military occupational specialties and establishes an approval process for deviations to this policy. By issuing the updated guidance, Army senior commanders have clear guidance on approving the use of soldiers for positions or functions outside of their occupational specialty on a rotational basis for an enduring period which meets the intent of our recommendation.
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| Department of the Army | To better position the Army to determine the extent to which it is continuing to use borrowed military personnel and to enhance the Army's ability to utilize its total workforce efficiently and effectively as it moves forward, the Secretary of the Army should establish oversight mechanisms that include directing commanders to maintain records for considering the full costs of borrowed military personnel when making decisions to use these personnel, and directing the Army to review these records and full costs reported by installations and commands to help ensure that these costs are considered, documented, and reported in a uniform manner. |
The Army concurred with our recommendation. GAO's recommendation was based on its finding reported in June 2015 that the commanders did not consider the full cost of using military personnel as borrowed military personnel. In their written response to our report, the Army stated that a process requiring a cost analysis was already in place but also that they were in the process of issuing additional guidance to address this. In October 2022, the Army stated that they would update Army Regulation 570-4 to establish a process to require that costs be considered when using borrowed military personnel. In May 2024 the Army issued its update to the regulation which clarified that military personnel may only be used to perform non-military essential functions, including borrowed military personnel, when they are determined to be the least costly form of labor using the cost calculation methodology outlined in DOD Instruction 7041.04. The guidance further emphasizes that military personnel should be reserved for military essential functions because there is a limitation on military strength and military personnel are often the most expensive form of labor in most functions and should not be considered "free" labor or a "sunk cost". With this additional guidance, the Army has established oversight mechanisms to ensure that commanders consider the full cost of using borrowed military personnel and creates a uniform manner to consider, document, and report these costs; these actions meet the intent of our recommendation.
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