Defense Personnel
Standards for Joint Duty Tour Length Averages Being Met Gao ID: NSIAD-90-254BR September 10, 1990Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO examined whether the average length of military officers' joint tours was consistent with legislation regarding the minimum length of joint duty assignments.
GAO found that: (1) average tour length for each service exceeded 2 years for general/flag officers and 3 years for field grade officers; (2) of 117 general/flag officers tours, 77 completed tours of 2 or more years, 17 received waivers from the 2-year tour, 20 served 23 to 24 months, and 3 served more than 21 months; (3) several legislative provisions provide the Department of Defense with flexibility in computing average tour length; and (4) due to different stipulations for average tour lengths, the services managed, tracked, and reported general/flag officers and field grade officers separately.