Historians

In response to a congressional request, GAO reported on the historian programs in the Department of Defense (DOD).

GAO found that: (1) in fiscal year 1986, DOD employed 371 military personnel and 25 civilians in its historian programs at an estimated cost of $27,128,000; (2) the Air Force published approximately 48 major volumes with another 41 volumes in progress and 60 volumes planned; (3) the Army published a series of historical volumes, including the "U.S. Army in Vietnam" series, the Army historical series, and the "Army in Korea" series; (4) the Naval Historical Center conducts research, compiles naval histories, and operates the Navy library, the archives for operational and other selected restored records, and the Navy Memorial Museum; (5) the Marine Corps collects and analyzes historical data and writes books, research summaries, and monographs, while curators and archivists collect and preserve historical artifacts and documents; (6) as of January 1986, the Joint Chiefs of Staff had written 166 histories, special studies, and chronologies, many of which were classified; and (7) the Office of the Secretary of Defense publishes an average of 1 book every 2 years and records oral histories and the statements of the Secretary of Defense.