U.S. Corps of Engineers

Better Management Needed for Mobilization Support Gao ID: NSIAD-93-116 April 29, 1993

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has begun modifying its plans for mobilization support activities to include regionally based conflicts like the Persian Gulf War, but key planning guidance remains focused on the full mobilization of forces for global war. The Corps has not established any timetable for revising this guidance and does not expect to make any changes until after it has completed a study of its future support program for natural disasters and national security emergencies. The Corps also has not determined its personnel requirements for conflicts involving less than full mobilization. Corps readiness to support mobilization is uncertain. Readiness evaluations are not based on objective standards and exclude overseas activities. In addition, the Corps has failed to follow up on identified deficiencies.

GAO found that: (1) the Corps has based its mobilization support planning on a full mobilization of forces in response to a global war, including vast installation construction and improvement; (2) the Persian Gulf War demonstrated that facility expansion or construction in the United States would not be needed for regional conflicts, the Corps could fill an overseas in-theater support role during troop build-up and actual hostilities, and limited Corps personnel are needed for the support role; (3) U.S. military engagements since World War II have been limited regional conflicts, which are the most likely type of conflict to occur in the future; (4) although the Corps has made several initiatives to address its role in regional conflicts, it has not revised its primary mobilization support planning guidance or its personnel requirements to include regional conflicts; (5) in response to criticism, the Corps has taken actions to improve its readiness, but its readiness is difficult to evaluate due to the lack of objective standards and a reliable evaluation methodology; and (6) Corps headquarters oversight is inadequate, since it does not follow up on poor-performing or non-reporting divisions.

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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