Defense Infrastructure: High-Level Federal Interagency Coordination Is Warranted to Address Transportation Needs beyond the Scope of the Defense Access Roads Program
GAO-11-165
Published: Jan 26, 2011. Publicly Released: Feb 25, 2011.
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Highlights
The unprecedented growth at 26 military installations across the country due to the implementation of several concurrent Department of Defense (DOD) initiatives is expected to stress transportation needs for surrounding communities. The Defense Access Roads program, while small when compared to other transportation funding sources, provides a means for DOD to pay a share of the cost of highway improvements due to unusual and sudden DOD-generated activities. In response to a congressional request to review the program, GAO (1) assessed the use of the program to mitigate transportation needs and (2) identified additional steps that may be necessary to address unmet transportation needs. GAO conducted extensive interviews with 26 growth installations and visited installations and state authorities in Maryland, Texas, and Virginia to discuss transportation issues.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | In order to better utilize the DAR program as it is currently designed, the Secretary of Defense should work with the Secretary of Transportation to (1) update regulations and clarify guidance for the DAR certification and funding processes, (2) develop working-level guidance for potential program users, and (3) effectively communicate the regulations and working-level guidance to all federal, state and local stakeholders. | In January 2011, we reported that the Defense Access Roads program provides some assistance in mitigating transportation needs in communities surrounding growth installations, but program usage has been limited, in part, by a lack of knowledge of the program, outdated regulations, and unclear guidance on how to navigate the program's complex process. The guidance describing the Defense Access Roads program procedures and, specifically, the application of the criteria is difficult to follow and some regulations and guidance are outdated. As a result, we recommended that the Secretary of Defense work with the Secretary of Transportation to (1) update regulations and clarify guidance for... the DAR certification and funding processes, (2) develop working-level guidance for potential program users, and (3) effectively communicate the regulations and working-level guidance to all federal, state and local stakeholders. In response to our recommendation, DOD and the Department of Transportation in August 2012 agreed to more closely coordinate approaches to transportation issues. Additionally, in March 2013, DOD officials stated that based on the results of coordinating a potential change to the Defense Access Roads eligibility criteria, leadership determined that the best approach would be to direct the Defense Access Roads program to update its guidance to ensure that the existing criteria are applied flexibly as has been the case for urban areas during the implementation of BRAC 2005. Lastly, in June 2013, the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) issued a memo directing the Defense Access Roads Program to update its guidance. In addition, the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command Defense Access Roads Program office has begun communicating directly with the commanders of each growth installation to address previously reported issues regarding unawareness of the Defense Access Roads Program. These actions will allow program guidance to be updated to include the program's procedures and will ensure that it is effectively communicated to all stakeholders so that the program can be used to its fullest extent. Therefore, we are closing this recommendation.
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| Department of Defense | As DOD implements our June 2008 recommendation to regularly hold meetings with high-level federal officials of the full Economic Adjustment Committee, as DOD agreed to do in concurring with our recommendation, the Secretary of Defense should direct the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) to routinely coordinate with the Secretary of Transportation to (1) meet regularly, (2) identify all existing federal transportation funding resources, and (3) develop a strategy for affording priority consideration for the use of those funds and other resources for the benefit of communities most severely affected by DOD. | In January 2011, we identified an additional step that may be necessary to meet the large pool of the transportation needs that are not being met by the Defense Access Roads Program, greater high-level federal interagency coordination. Executive Order 12788 provides for a federal committee, the Economic Adjustment Committee, bringing together 22 agencies, under the leadership of the Secretary of Defense or his designee to, among other things, support various programs designed to assist communities most affected by defense activities. As chair of the committee, DOD has the opportunity to convene full committee meetings and exercise high-level leadership needed to ensure that federal...
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Community developmentEconomic growthFederal aid for highwaysFederal aid for transportationFederal facilitiesFederal regulationsstate relationsInteragency relationsInterchanges and intersectionsMilitary facilitiesProgram managementPublic roads or highwaysRoad constructionTransportation