Defense Infrastructure: High-Level Federal Interagency Coordination Is Warranted to Address Transportation Needs beyond the Scope of the Defense Access Roads Program

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surrounding growth installations, but program usage has been limited, in part, by a lack of knowledge of the program, outdated regulations, and unclear guidance on how to navigate the program's complex process.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and, specifically, the application of the criteria is difficult to follow and some regulations and guidance are outdated.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.

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 agencies are affording priority consideration to defense affected communities. However, the committee has only rarely convened and has at no time discussed transportation needs affecting all 26 growth locations. As a result, we recommended that DOD 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 response to our recommendation, DOD hosted a meeting of the Economic Adjustment Committee in August 2012 to examine Defense Access Roads funding and coordination issues. An outcome of that meeting was consensus that as DOD develops future re-stationing decisions greater coordination with local planning entities is essential to assessing transportation impacts. In June 2013, the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics) issued a letter to the congressional defense committees detailing the proposed plan for improving the Defense Access Roads Program. As stated in the plan, DOD's goal is to improve the assessment of transportation impacts; enhance collaboration with planning entities; expand the range of mitigation measures, including joint funding opportunities; and promote additional transportation demand management measures. These actions will allow for the effective interagency and intergovernmental coordination that is needed to help address the unmet transportation needs of defense-affected communities. Therefore, we are closing this recommendation.