DOD Support Infrastructure Management

While DOD has made progress and continues to improve its support infrastructure, it faces challenges in managing its portfolio of facilities, halting facilities' degradation, and reducing unneeded infrastructure to save money. Because of these types of issues, DOD's management of support infrastructure has been on GAO's list of high-risk programs designated as vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement since 1997. Moreover, DOD is simultaneously (1) closing bases and realigning more than 120,000 personnel under the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure initiative; (2) expanding the Army and Marine Corps by a total of about 100,000 personnel by 2013; (3) rebasing up to 170,000 servicemembers, dependents, and civilian employees from overseas to the United States under the Integrated Global Posture and Basing Strategy; (4) implementing Army modularity; and (5) relocating about 17,000 Marines and their dependents from Okinawa to Guam—all prompting significant construction. Return of combat forces from overseas may add to the stresses due to a lack of sufficient infrastructure because the forces would be returning while DOD undertakes significant construction to support the other initiatives.

• The cost to implement the base realignment and closure recommendations have increased by more than $10 billion since 2005, net annual recurring savings has decreased, and it will take 4 years longer than planned, to 2017, to recoup the upfront implementation costs.

  Highlights of GAO-08-159 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-341T (PDF)

• DOD faces significant budgeting challenges to complete all required construction, conduct environmental remediation, maintain its installations to avoid degradation, and ensure adequate installation support for DOD's mission and quality of life for DOD personnel.

  Highlights of GAO-08-502 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-159 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-06-852 (PDF)

• Twenty U.S. communities and the island of Guam are substantially and seriously challenged in their ability to provide adequate infrastructure surrounding bases that are growing due to Base Realignment and Closure decisions, increase in the Army and Marine Corps, overseas rebasing, and Army modularity.

  Highlights of GAO-08-665 (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-1005 (PDF)

• DOD training ranges are critical to maintaining readiness, but the ranges face increasing limitations and restrictions on land, water, and airspace as residential, commercial, and industrial development continues to expand around and encroach on remote training sites.

  GAO-08-10R (PDF)

^ Back to topWhat Needs to Be Done

• DOD needs more transparency over its estimated savings from base realignment and closure implementation and should clearly identify the key sources of any savings that the department expects to obtain.

  Highlights of GAO-08-341T (PDF), Highlights of GAO-08-159 (PDF)

• DOD needs to provide Congress with greater transparency over implementation costs of its Integrated Global Presence and Basing Strategy by periodically reporting costs and other factors.

  Highlights of GAO-06-852 (PDF)

• DOD needs to ensure safe and healthful work and residential environments for servicemembers and their families by improving facilities' condition. Thus, DOD must (1) increase the facilities sustainment model's reliability by verifying real property inventory records and documenting the basis for the model's sustainment cost factors; (2) address deferred facility sustainment needs by clearly defining deferred sustainment requirements, explaining when deferred sustainment becomes restoration, and directing the military services to consistently measure and address deferred sustainment needs; and (3) establish and meet implementation milestones for the installation services model.

  Highlights of GAO-08-502 (PDF)

• DOD needs to effectively communicate with local authorities to ensure that communities near growing bases are positioned to provide civilian infrastructure to support viable basesm. Improving communications assists communities in providing transportation, education services, water and sewer infrastructure; and housing. Specifically, DOD needs to improve the military personnel relocation data for affected communities and facilitate effective interagency and intergovernmental coordination and assistance.

  Highlights of GAO-08-665 (PDF)

^ Back to topKey Reports

Defense Infrastructure

Defense Infrastructure

Military Base Realignments and Closures