Military Training: DOD Met Annual Reporting Requirements for Its 2014 Sustainable Ranges Report

What GAO Found

The 2014 Sustainable Ranges Report of the Department of Defense (DOD) met the annual statutory reporting requirements for the department to describe its progress in implementing its plan to sustain training ranges and to describe any additional actions taken or planned for addressing training constraints caused by limitations on the use of military lands, marine areas, or airspace. DOD's 2014 report provides updates to several elements of the plan required by the act, including (1) proposals to enhance training range capabilities and to address any shortfalls; (2) goals and milestones for tracking progress in the implementation of DOD's sustainment plan; and (3) projected funding requirements for each of the military services to implement their planned actions. The report also identified emerging challenges to training range sustainability and reported actions taken to mitigate them. Together these elements describe DOD's progress in implementing its comprehensive plan and in addressing training constraints at its ranges, thus meeting the annual reporting requirements of the act.

Military Training Exercise

Why GAO Did This Study

DOD relies on access to military land, airspace, sea space, and frequency spectrum to provide its forces a realistic training environment and ranges that will prepare them to face combat or complex missions around the globe. Section 366 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 (as amended) required DOD to submit a comprehensive plan to address training constraints caused by limitations on the use of military lands, marine areas, and airspace available in the United States and overseas for training, and provide annual progress reports on these efforts through 2018. The act also mandated that GAO submit annual evaluations of DOD's reports to Congress within 90 days of receiving them from DOD. In this report, GAO determined the extent to which DOD's 2014 Sustainable Ranges Report met the legislative requirements.

GAO is not making any recommendations in this report. DOD agreed with GAO's report.

For more information, contact Brian Lepore at (202) 512-4523 or leporeb@gao.gov.