Military Tour-Length and Tour-Curtailment Policies and Practices
NSIAD-85-114
Published: Jul 19, 1985. Publicly Released: Jul 19, 1985.
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Highlights
Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed certain aspects of the Department of Defense's (DOD) permanent change of station and tour-length policies and practices to determine: (1) how DOD develops, justifies, and changes overseas prescribed tour lengths; and (2) whether DOD has adequate systems to ensure that service members complete their prescribed tours of duty and that individual tour curtailments are justified and kept to a minimum.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | The Secretary of Defense should direct the Army to reevaluate its decision to shorten the first-term tour length to 18 months, taking into account changed conditions since 1980. |
Based on Army analysis reported in the DOD Permanent Change of Station (PCS) Program, DOD believes that this recommendation is no longer applicable because the analysis reported that the 18-month tour: (1) had lower actual costs than initially estimated; (2) allowed the Army to establish the 2-year enlistment, a battalion rotation system; and (3) lessened support costs.
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