DOD's Automated Telecommunications Centers Reduce the Impact of Message Volume on Staffing

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO followed up on its 1975 report regarding the need for electronically transmitting narrative messages at military telecommunications centers. In that report, GAO estimated that the number of narrative messages sent from six military installations could have been reduced and that a cost savings could be realized by decreasing staff who operated the telecommunications equipment. The report also projected that the Department of Defense (DOD) could save millions of dollars annually if up to 40 percent of the messages sent electronically from all military telecommunications centers were mailed.