Defense Reorganization

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the implementation of Department of Defense (DOD) task force's recommendations concerning the U.S. Special Operations Command, focusing on: (1) the progress made in reducing separate Army, Navy, and Air Force component command headquarters to an integrated Special Operations Command headquarters; and (2) other actions taken by the Special Operations Command that would affect the organizational relationships between itself and its components.

GAO found that: (1) although the Command was given combatant authority over the special operations forces and schools of all three services, the Secretary of Defense did not accept a recommendation to transfer 231 positions from the service component commands to the Special Operations Command headquarters, and directed that 34 positions be eliminated from the Command headquarters and component command headquarters; (2) Command headquarters and component command headquarters increased their staffing levels despite the staff reduction directive, but expected future staffing increases only in the Air Force Command component; and (3) Command officials believed that its future staff reductions because of DOD budget cuts would be proportionally smaller than reductions for other units, because of the increased importance of special operations.