Defense Headquarters: DOD Needs to Reassess Options for Permanent Location of U.S. Africa Command
Abstract
GAO has issued several reports on the establishment of AFRICOM and its components.7 In 2008, we testified that DOD had made progress in transferring activities, staffing the command, and establishing an interim headquarters for AFRICOM but had not yet fully estimated the additional costs of establishing and operating the command. We also reported in 2008 that DOD had not reached an agreement with the Department of State (State) and potential host nations on the structure and location of the command s presence in Africa, and that such uncertainty hindered DOD s ability to estimate future funding requirements and raised questions about whether DOD s concept for developing enduring relationships on the continent could be achieved. In 2009 we reported that the total future cost of establishing AFRICOM would be significant but remained unclear because decisions on the locations of AFRICOM s permanent headquarters and its supporting offices in Africa had not been made. We also stated that it would be difficult to assess the merits of infrastructure investments in Germany for AFRICOM s interim headquarters without knowing how long AFRICOM would use these facilities or how they would be used after a permanent location was established. To determine the long-term fiscal investment for AFRICOM s infrastructure, we recommended that the Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the Secretary of State, as appropriate, conduct an assessment of possible locations for AFRICOM s permanent headquarters and any supporting offices in Africa that would be based on transparent criteria, methodology, and assumptions; include the full cost and time-frames to construct and support proposed locations; evaluate how each location would contribute to AFRICOM s mission consistent with the criteria of the study; and consider geopolitical and operational risks and barriers in implementing each alternative.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA585641
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office