Civil Military Programs: Stronger Oversight of the Innovative Readiness Training Program Needed for Better Compliance
NSIAD-98-84
Published: Mar 12, 1998. Publicly Released: Mar 12, 1998.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) training projects that support nondefense activities, focusing on the: (1) extent, nature, and cost of civil military projects; (2) consistency of DOD's guidance on the Innovative Readiness Training (IRT) Program with statutory requirements; (3) conformity of selected projects to statutory requirements, especially those dealing with military training; and (4) effectiveness of the Office of the Secretary of Defense's (OSD) and service secretaries' oversight of such projects.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should take action to manage the IRT program to comply with the oversight procedures that have been established. Specifically, when projects require supplemental IRT funding, sponsors should have submitted applications with the required information and OSD and the sponsoring organizations should have developed memorandums of agreement. |
Closed – Implemented
Program guidance was revised to reflect that OSD will not approve incomplete applications and that a memorandum of agreement is an essential part of project approval. OSD officials told GAO that they are complying with these oversight procedures.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should take action to manage the IRT program to comply with the oversight procedures that have been established. Specifically, DOD's directive should be clarified to explicitly require the preparation and submission of after-action reports within a designated time frame for all projects, not just those requiring supplemental IRT funding. |
Closed – Implemented
OSD officials told GAO that they have completed action on this recommendation. They provided a copy of the revised guidance which requires the preparation and submission of after-action reports within a designated time frame for all projects.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should establish guidance for making cost determinations for joint projects and directing the service secretaries to define what constitutes an increase in the cost of training and what represents a "significant increase" in training costs associated with IRT projects. |
Closed – Implemented
OSD officials told GAO that they have completed action on this recommendation. They provided a copy of guidance directing the service secretaries to define what constitutes an increase in the cost of training and what represents a significant increase associated with IRT projects. The guidance also provides instructions on setting out the costs for joint projects.
|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should modify OSD program oversight procedures to ensure that a determination has been made as to whether an increase in training costs is significant. |
Closed – Implemented
OSD officials told GAO that they have completed action on this recommendation. They provided a copy of the FY1999 application for IRT projects. This application provides a clear indication that such a determination has been made.
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Topics
Civic actionCost analysisEducation or training costsStaff utilizationMilitary cost controlMilitary trainingProgram evaluationNational GuardU.S. Marine CorpsU.S. Army