Defense Computers

Pursuant to a legislative requirement, GAO reviewed the Department of Defense's plan to execute simulated year 2000 exercises, focusing on: (1) the methodology to be used to simulate the year 2000; (2) the potential information that will be collected as a result of implementing the plan; (3) the adequacy of the planned tests; and (4) assessing the impact that the plan will have on military readiness.

GAO noted that: (1) the Secretary of Defense has not yet submitted the operational evaluation program plan to Congress and, therefore, GAO cannot report on the results of the review at this time; (2) Defense has been working on the overall operational evaluation plan but has not yet submitted it as required; (3) on August 7, 1998, the Secretary of Defense requested that the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) develop a Joint Year 2000 Operational Evaluation Program plan to be used as part of the joint training exercises program conducted by JCS and the commanders in chief (CINC); (4) since then, JCS has developed guidance and oversight mechanisms for the cinc to conduct operational evaluations and for coordinating these efforts with the military services and Defense agencies; (5) JCS has also developed a database for tracking the results of these evaluations; (6) as of January 26, 1999, the CINCs had plans to conduct 31 operational evaluations through September 1999; (7) initial evaluations at the North American Aerospace Defense Command and the Strategic Command have already been conducted; (8) GAO's strategy for performing future Defense year 2000 work entails assessing selected operational evaluations and related activities performed by Defense; and (9) GAO will brief the congressional committees on the results of the assessments as they are completed.