Centralized Ammunition Management--A Goal Not Yet Achieved

To streamline conventional ammunition management, the Department of Defense (DOD) designated the Secretary of the Army as single manager. GAO examined records and interviewed officials involved in ammunition management at various military locations to determine the managerial and organizational changes needed to enhance further implementation of the single manager concept.

If the Secretary of the Army had more control and a stronger position, millions of dollars could be saved and a system capable of providing the intensive management essential during a war would result. Currently, control over ammunition management is fragmented between the single manager and the services. Attempts to eliminate this fragmentation have encountered stiff resistance from the services. In addition to more control, the single manager's position needs to be strengthened. Joint service participation needs to be increased, communication channels need improvement, and the organization needs to be elevated with its responsibility limited to ammunition. The matter of funding single manager programs must also be resolved.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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