Army's Ability To Expand Training Base Upon Mobilization Remains Limited

GAO performed followup work on prior reports to determine what progress the Army has made in correcting major problems that would hamper the Army's ability to train the soldiers needed during the first 180 days of mobilization.

The Army has taken some actions to identify the magnitude of its base expansion problems. However, Reserve training divisions that are being counted on to perform required training still lack personnel, and many assigned personnel are not qualified to perform the required duties. In addition, the Army still needs additional training companies to meet mobilization training requirements, and equipment shortages are so great that training would be impaired even if an adequate number of trainers and companies were available. The Army estimates that it has the capacity to accommodate only about 50 percent of the personnel it needs to begin training within 180 days following mobilization. The Army has started action to improve the overall strength levels in Reserve training divisions; however, reducing the shortage may take some time. To help alleviate shortages of qualified trainers, the Army is considering assigning retired personnel to training divisions. Although considerable progress has been made in identifying available equipment, efforts to develop acceptable training alternatives to deal with existing constraints have been unsuccessful. The Army's Inspector General has recently made recommendations for correcting base expansion problems. The Army has developed action plans to address each of these recommendations and has set forth specific tasks and milestones to complete the required action. Some corrective actions have been initiated; however, it is too soon to tell whether improvements in the training base will result.

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.

Director: Kenneth J. Coffey Team: General Accounting Office: Federal Personnel and Compensation Division Phone: (202) 275-5140