Military Operations and Capabilities Issue Area Plan--Fiscal Years
1995-97 (Letter Report, 03/01/95, GAO/IAP-95-3).

GAO provided information on its Military Operations and Capabilities
issue area plan, focusing on: (1) the Department of Defense's (DOD)
military planning activities; (2) DOD budgeting for its operation and
maintenance account; (3) the capability, performance, readiness, and
viability of military forces and weapon systems; and (4) the
effectiveness of DOD efforts to maintain a quality force.

GAO plans to concentrate its reviews on whether: (1) DOD strategic,
operational, and contingency planning is adequate to support military
operations; (2) DOD adequately plans and prepares an accurate operation
and maintenance budget; (3) DOD can adjust its mobilization and
deployment plans to its downsized force; (4) DOD forces are capable of
performing as expected; (5) DOD is efficiently and effectively preparing
forces for military operations; (6) readiness problems are a reflection
of poor resource allocation or insufficient funding; (7) DOD provides
the necessary incentives and operating environment to recruit and retain
a quality force; and (8) the DOD drawdown is achieving a balanced
active, reserve, and civilian workforce.

--------------------------- Indexing Terms -----------------------------

 REPORTNUM:  IAP-95-3
     TITLE:  Military Operations and Capabilities Issue Area 
             Plan--Fiscal Years 1995-97
      DATE:  03/01/95
   SUBJECT:  Combat readiness
             Military operations
             Defense contingency planning
             Defense capabilities
             Budget administration
             Mission budgeting
             Military recruiting
             Defense budgets
             Military training
             Mobilization

             
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Cover
================================================================ COVER


National Security and International Affairs Division

March 1995

MILITARY OPERATIONS AND
CAPABILITIES ISSUE AREA PLAN -
FISCAL YEARS 1995-97

GAO/IAP-95-3



Abbreviations
=============================================================== ABBREV

  DOD - Department of Defense
  ABC - ABCenti

FOREWORD
============================================================ Chapter 0

The Military Operations and Capabilities issue area is one of 35
issue areas for which GAO periodically develops multiyear strategic
plans.  Relying heavily on input from congressional committees, as
well as with industry, academia, and agency officials and other
experts, GAO develops issue area plans to ensure that our resources
are focused on the most important concerns of the Congress.  The
Military Operations and Capabilities issue area reviews programs in
the Department of Defense (DOD), the individual military services,
and other supporting defense agencies. 

GAO's goal is to serve as a source of timely, accurate information
and unbiased analysis for decisionmakers in the Congress and
executive agencies.  For each issue area, GAO's strategic plan
describes the significance of the issues, our objectives, and the
focus of our work.  Our work results in such products as reports,
briefings, and testimonies. 

GAO's work in the Military Operations and Capabilities issue area
focuses on military planning activities; DOD's budgeting for its
operation and maintenance account; the capability, performance,
readiness, and sustainability of military forces and weapons; and
initiatives aimed at maintaining a quality force.  The principal
issues we cover are

  -- the adequacy of DOD's strategic, operational, and contingency
     plans for military operations and the completeness of its
     mobilization and deployment plans;

  -- the accuracy of budget estimates for DOD's operation and
     maintenance account;

  -- the capability of military forces and weapon systems to carry
     out their expected roles in the national military strategy and
     their performance in actual operations;

  -- the readiness and sustainability of military forces to perform
     their assigned missions; and

  -- the effectiveness of DOD's efforts to maintain a quality force
     concurrent with a substantial downsizing program. 

In the pages that follow, we describe our key planned work on these
issues. 

Because events may significantly affect even the best of plans, our
planning process allows for updating the plan and responding quickly
to emerging issues.  If you have any questions or suggestions about
this plan, please call me at (202) 512-5140. 

Mark E.  Gebicke
Director
Military Operations and Capabilities Issues


CONTENTS
============================================================ Chapter 1


   FOREWORD
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:1

1


   TABLE I:  KEY ISSUES
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:2

4


   TABLE II:  PLANNED MAJOR WORK
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:3

6


   TABLE III:  GAO CONTACTS
---------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1:4

7


TABLE I:  KEY ISSUES
============================================================ Chapter 2

Issue                         Significance
----------------------------  --------------------------------------------------
Planning and budgeting: Has   With a smaller military, sound operational and
DOD adequately planned for    contingency planning takes on increased
military operations and       importance. Mobilization and deployment plans are
prepared an accurate          crucial if DOD is to respond quickly.
operation and maintenance
(O&M) budget?                 The Congress is concerned that DOD has
                              overbudgeted for some items when these funds might
                              be better spent to achieve readiness. Our O&M
                              budget review can interject more accountability
                              into the process.


Capabilities and              Each functional element of DOD's forces plays a
performance: Are DOD forces   role in the national military strategy. Successful
capable of performing as      military operations are predicated on whether each
expected?                     is capable of achieving its mission. By assessing
                              whether the selected forces exist in sufficient
                              numbers, are sufficiently modernized and ready,
                              and can be sustained in combat, we hope to assist
                              future decisions on force structure, training, and
                              capital investments.







Readiness and                 The Congress wants to avoid a return to a "hollow"
sustainability: Is DOD        force, unprepared to fight the nation's wars.
prepared to effectively       Readiness problems, however, may in fact reflect
carry out military            poor resource allocation decisions rather than
operations?                   insufficient funding. Better management of defense
                              resources may be the key to improved readiness.








Quality of the force: Is DOD  A smaller military must emphasize quality,
ensuring that a quality       continuity, and high morale. Sound recruiting
force is maintained?          efforts, meaningful training, career development
                              opportunities, and maintenance of a balanced force
                              are essential if DOD is to retain a quality
                              force.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Objectives                                Focus of Work
----------------------------------------  --------------------------------------
--Assess adequacy of DOD's strategic,     --Evaluations of DOD strategic,
operational, and contingency planning.    operational, and contingency planning
                                          efforts.
--Evaluate DOD efforts to adjust its
mobilization and deployment plans to its  --Assessments of mobilization and
downsized force.                          deployment planning.

--Identify excesses and shortfalls in     --Critical review of DOD's annual O&M
DOD's O&M budget requests.                budget requests to identify potential
                                          savings.

--Assess whether forces in selected       --Reviews of selected military
military functions are capable of         functions in terms of the adequacy of
achieving their expected missions.        their force structure, modernization,
                                          readiness, and sustainment to meet
--Alert Congress and DOD to shortfalls    their anticipated mission.
and excesses in operational
capabilities.                             --Reviews of the performance of
                                          selected forces in recent operations.
--Evaluate adequacy of DOD actions to     Those most critical to successful
correct identified operational            operations will be assessed.
deficiencies.
                                          --Reviews of the adequacy of actions
                                          taken to correct identified capability
                                          shortfalls.

--Provide objective information about     --Measurement of selected readiness
the potential return to a "hollow"        indicators to address concerns about
force.                                    declining readiness.

--Determine if DOD training is            --Reviews of training and exercises
efficiently and effectively preparing     aimed at preparing forces for combat.
forces for military operations.
                                          --Assessments of Guard and Reserve
--Assess whether maintenance, supply,     readiness.
facility, and other support systems
effectively and efficiently ensure the    --Reviews of sustainment functions to
readiness of weapons and equipment.       identify excesses that divert funds
                                          from more productive uses and
                                          shortages that hamper readiness.

--Assess DOD efforts to provide the       --Evaluations of DOD efforts to retain
necessary incentives and operating        a quality force, such as actions to
environment to recruit and retain a       reduce attrition and improve quality
quality force.                            of life.

--Determine if DOD's drawdown is          --Assessments of the force balance
achieving a balanced active, reserve,     achieved through downsizing.
and civilian workforce.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TABLE II:  PLANNED MAJOR WORK
============================================================ Chapter 3

Issue                      Planned Major Job Starts
-------------------------  -----------------------------------------------------
Planning and budgeting     --Evaluation of DOD's FY 1996 Operation and
                           Maintenance budget request\a

                           --Review of DOD force mobilization plans

                           --Review of DOD training infrastructure to identify
                           possible consolidations impacting the
                           O&M budget


Capabilities and           --Assessment of selected functional capabilities
performance                (e.g., medical, combat engineering)

                           --DOD's experience with and plans for joint force
                           packaging

                           --Chemical and biological warfare capability\a


Readiness and              --Continuing evaluation of readiness for a cross-
sustainability             section of DOD forces\a

                           --Impacts of high operating tempo on readiness\a

                           --Readiness and sustainability of selected combat and
                           support aircraft\a

                           --Impact of frequent reassignments on readiness

                           --Accessibility of Guard and Reserve forces in recent
                           operations\a


Quality of the force       --DOD efforts to minimize undesirable attrition

                           --Review of alternatives for housing military
                           personnel

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\a Ongoing assignments


TABLE III:  GAO CONTACTS
============================================================ Chapter 4


      DIRECTOR
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.1

Mark Gebicke (202) 512-5140


      ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.2

Sharon Cekala (202) 512-5140


      ASSISTANT DIRECTORS
-------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4:0.3

Edward M.  Balderson
William E.  Beusse
Charles J.  Bonanno
Robert B.  Eurich
Paul L.  Francis
Valeria Gale Gist
Joan B.  Hawkins
A.  H.  Huntington III
Robert J.  Lane
James R.  Murphy
Donald L.  Patton
Carol R.  Schuster


*** End of document. ***