Reserve Training

An Alternative to the Active Army Education Program for National Guard Technicians Gao ID: NSIAD-88-164 June 28, 1988

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO examined the Military Education Program (MEP) for Army National Guard technicians to determine: (1) whether the Reserve Component Noncommissioned Officer (NCO) Education Program provided a viable alternative to MEP; (2) how participation in MEP affected technicians' readiness; and (3) how MEP affected technicians personally, including their leave and other benefits.

GAO found that: (1) the Army is revising the NCO program to align it more closely with MEP; (2) MEP and the new Reserve Component Program were generally similar in content but sometimes varied in duration; (3) MEP costs were about three times the Reserve Component Program's costs; (4) participation in MEP did not measurably affect units' readiness, but it sometimes disrupted their operations; and (5) although MEP training requirements did not impose financial hardship on technicians, it did create some inconveniences. GAO believes that the Reserve Component Program offers a viable alternative to MEP due to its lower costs and greater convenience.

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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