Defense Logistics: Department of Defense's Annual Report on the Status of Prepositioned Materiel and Equipment Can Be Enhanced to Better Inform Congress
Abstract
The Department of Defense (DOD) prepositions equipment at strategic locations around the world in order to field combat-ready forces in days, rather than the weeks it would take if equipment had to be moved from the United States to the locations of conflicts. DOD's prepositioned stock programs support the National Military Strategy and are an important part of its overall strategic mobility framework. Prepositioned materiel and equipment have played an important role in supporting ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, sustained continuing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have taken a toll on the condition and readiness of military equipment. The Army and Marine Corps face a number of ongoing and long-term challenges that will affect both the timing and the cost of equipment repair and replacement particularly to its prepositioned stocks. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 (NDAA) added an annual reporting requirement to Title 10 of the United States Code, directing DOD to submit a report to the congressional defense committees on the status of prepositioned materiel and equipment as of the end of each fiscal year, no later than the date of the submission of the President's annual budget requests. For this report, our objectives are to determine the extent to which (1) DOD's report addresses the six elements in the annual reporting requirement and (2) what additional information in future DOD reports on the status of its prepositioned materiel and equipment could further inform congressional defense committees on issues relating to the status of prepositioned materiel and equipment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 15, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA491692
Entities
People
- William M. Solis
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office