United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office National Security and International Affairs Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 2000-05-26 monographic deposited born digital 75 p. GA 1.13:NSIAD-00-97 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97 P0b002ee1803a278e f:ns00097 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-28 GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97 NSIAD-00-97 Biological warfare Nuclear warfare Chemical warfare Nuclear proliferation Interagency relations Weapons research and development Weapons systems Redundancy Performance measures Defense capabilities DOD Defense Counterproliferation Initiative DOD Quadrennial Defense Review DOD Defense Reform Initiative Letter Report NSIAD

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's (DOD) implementation of the Defense Counterproliferation Initiative, focusing on: (1) DOD actions to make the nuclear, biological, and chemical threat a matter of routine consideration within its organization, activities, and functions; (2) other actions DOD can take to improve implementation of the Initiative; and (3) the actions of the interagency Counterproliferation Program Review Committee to coordinate the research and development programs of DOD, the Department of Energy (DOE), and the U.S. intelligence community to identify and eliminate unnecessary duplication.<p/>GAO noted that: (1) DOD is taking steps to make the nuclear, biological, and chemical threat a matter of routine consideration within its activities and functions, such as training and field exercises and the acquisition of weapon systems and equipment; (2) DOD has given greater emphasis to this threat in policy and planning documents, and the Joint Staff has made considerable effort to determine and prioritize the counterproliferation requirements of the unified commands; (3) the services have increased the importance placed on counterproliferation requirements in their acquisition programs, training, and doctrine; (4) regional unified commands have incorporated counterproliferation concepts, equipment, and tasks into their planning and military exercises; (5) while DOD has taken positive steps, it can do more to integrate and focus its response to the growing threat posed by the proliferation of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons; (6) DOD does not have an overarching joint counterproliferation doctrine document to provide a centralized picture of how DOD should respond in a nuclear, biological, and chemical environment across the spectrum of military operations; (7) such a document will help ensure that counterproliferation is being satisfactorily integrated in the entire body of joint doctrine; (8) DOD also has not taken sufficient action to provide reasonable assurance that its weapon systems and equipment can survive and operate in a biological and chemical environment; (9) studies indicate that DOD's organization structure may be too diffused to effectively manage and integrate DOD's counterproliferation mission; (10) DOD has not developed key strategy documents and management plans to aid in directing and managing its counterproliferation initiatives; (11) internal DOD reviews have identified the need for a comprehensive strategy for countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and a military strategy for integrating offensive and defensive capabilities; (12) there is also no management plan to guide, oversee, and integrate departmentwide initiatives; (13) DOD primarily coordinates its counterproliferation activities with DOE and the intelligence community through the Counterproliferation Program Review Committee; (14) DOD, DOE, and intelligence agency officials generally expressed satisfaction with the exchange of information that the Committee had provided about ongoing programs among the agencies; and (15) however, the Committee has taken little action to identify and eliminate undesirable redundancies among research and development programs. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97/html/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97/pdf/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97.pdf GAO/NSIAD-00-97 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-NSIAD-00-97 Letter Report GAO/NSIAD-00-97; Weapons of Mass Destruction: DOD's Actions to Combat; Biological warfare Nuclear warfare Chemical warfare Nuclear proliferation Interagency relations Weapons research and development Weapons systems Redundancy Performance measures Defense capabilities DOD Defense Counterproliferation Initiative DOD Quadrennial Defense Review DOD Defense Reform Initiative Title 10 Section 142 Title 10 Section 2377 10 U.S.C. 142 10 U.S.C. 2377 Public Law 103-62 Public Law 103-160 Public Law 103-355 Public Law 104-201 Public Law 104-293 Public Law 105-277 Public Law 106-65 S. Rept. 106-50