Defense Infrastructure

Army and Marine Corps Grow the Force Construction Projects Generally Support the Initiative Gao ID: GAO-08-375 March 6, 2008

In January 2007 the President announced an initiative, referred to as Grow the Force, to increase the end strength in the Army by more than 74,000 by 2013 and the Marine Corps by 27,000 personnel by 2011 to enhance U.S. forces, reduce stress on deployable personnel, and provide necessary forces for success in the Global War on Terrorism. The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that it will need more than $17 billion for facilities to accommodate the planned personnel increases. GAO was asked to review (1) the process the Army and Marine Corps used to develop construction projects associated with Grow the Force, (2) the extent to which the projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 support the initiative, and (3) whether the Army and Marine Corps plan to use temporary facilities while construction projects are completed. GAO reviewed the construction projects associated with Grow the Force in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, reviewed stationing documents, and interviewed officials at Army and Marine Corps headquarters and six installations on the process used to develop projects. In comments on a draft of this report, DOD disagreed with GAO's assessment that 1 Army project and 12 Marine Corps projects do not support Grow the Force but did not provide sufficient documentation that existing capacity issues would be exacerbated by additional personnel.

The Army and Marine Corps followed their typical process to develop construction projects when they developed the Grow the Force projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008; however, the process was compressed due to the short period of time between the announcement of the initiative and submission of budget requests. For example, the active duty Army took about 2 months and the Marine Corps took 6 months to develop projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008; the typical process takes about 2 years. Nearly all of the military construction projects submitted as Grow the Force projects in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 supported the Grow the Force initiative. GAO found that 68 of the 69 projects submitted by the Army and Army National Guard, totaling more than $2.3 billion, and 37 of the 49 projects submitted by the Marine Corps, totaling more than $665 million, supported Grow the Force. However, GAO found that 1 Army project and 12 Marine Corps projects did not support Grow the Force because they addressed existing deficiencies and were needed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred or they supported another initiative. For example, the Marine Corps included a $7 million wastewater system modification project at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in its fiscal year 2008 budget request to address environmental issues. Officials said the project was already planned for a future budget request and would be needed regardless of whether Grow the Force had occurred. Additionally, GAO determined that 3 Marine Corps projects, totaling $58 million, were to construct facilities for wounded Marines that supported another initiative, not Grow the Force. While most of the fiscal years 2007 and 2008 projects were linked to Grow the Force, it may be more difficult to identify some Marine Corps and Army Reserve projects as supporting the initiative in future budget requests because the Marine Corps may not link installationwide projects to Grow the Force and the Army Reserve plans to identify projects for a related force structure effort as Grow the Force projects. GAO's analysis shows that some units will arrive at installations before facilities are constructed; however, the Army does not plan to purchase or lease temporary facilities, while the Marine Corps plans to do so to bridge the gap between when units are established and permanent facilities are constructed. The Army plans to use existing facilities, including facilities vacated by deployed units, to bridge the gap between the time when personnel arrive and the completion date of construction projects. The majority of new units will be established at Marine Corps installations before permanent facilities are complete and will require temporary facilities. The Marine Corps requested $147 million in fiscal year 2008 for temporary facilities, including armories and trailers, to bridge the gap between the time units arrive and the completion date of construction projects. A Marine Corps official expects that additional funding for temporary facilities will be required but the extent of the funding requirements have not yet been determined.



GAO-08-375, Defense Infrastructure: Army and Marine Corps Grow the Force Construction Projects Generally Support the Initiative This is the accessible text file for GAO report number GAO-08-375 entitled 'Defense Infrastructure: Army and Marine Corps Grow the Force Construction Projects Generally Support the Initiative' which was released on March 6, 2008. This text file was formatted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) to be accessible to users with visual impairments, as part of a longer term project to improve GAO products' accessibility. Every attempt has been made to maintain the structural and data integrity of the original printed product. Accessibility features, such as text descriptions of tables, consecutively numbered footnotes placed at the end of the file, and the text of agency comment letters, are provided but may not exactly duplicate the presentation or format of the printed version. 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Report to Congressional Committees: United States Government Accountability Office: GAO: March 2008: Defense Infrastructure: Army and Marine Corps Grow the Force Construction Projects Generally Support the Initiative: GAO-08-375: GAO Highlights: Highlights of GAO-08-375, a report to the Senate and House Committees on Appropriations, Subcommittees on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies. Why GAO Did This Study: In January 2007 the President announced an initiative, referred to as Grow the Force, to increase the end strength in the Army by more than 74,000 by 2013 and the Marine Corps by 27,000 personnel by 2011 to enhance U.S. forces, reduce stress on deployable personnel, and provide necessary forces for success in the Global War on Terrorism. The Department of Defense (DOD) estimates that it will need more than $17 billion for facilities to accommodate the planned personnel increases. GAO was asked to review (1) the process the Army and Marine Corps used to develop construction projects associated with Grow the Force, (2) the extent to which the projects submitted in DOD‘s budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 support the initiative, and (3) whether the Army and Marine Corps plan to use temporary facilities while construction projects are completed. GAO reviewed the construction projects associated with Grow the Force in DOD‘s budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, reviewed stationing documents, and interviewed officials at Army and Marine Corps headquarters and six installations on the process used to develop projects. In comments on a draft of this report, DOD disagreed with GAO‘s assessment that 1 Army project and 12 Marine Corps projects do not support Grow the Force but did not provide sufficient documentation that existing capacity issues would be exacerbated by additional personnel. What GAO Found: The Army and Marine Corps followed their typical process to develop construction projects when they developed the Grow the Force projects submitted in DOD‘s budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008; however, the process was compressed due to the short period of time between the announcement of the initiative and submission of budget requests. For example, the active duty Army took about 2 months and the Marine Corps took 6 months to develop projects submitted in DOD‘s budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008; the typical process takes about 2 years. Nearly all of the military construction projects submitted as Grow the Force projects in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 supported the Grow the Force initiative. GAO found that 68 of the 69 projects submitted by the Army and Army National Guard, totaling more than $2.3 billion, and 37 of the 49 projects submitted by the Marine Corps, totaling more than $665 million, supported Grow the Force. However, GAO found that 1 Army project and 12 Marine Corps projects did not support Grow the Force because they addressed existing deficiencies and were needed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred or they supported another initiative. For example, the Marine Corps included a $7 million wastewater system modification project at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, in its fiscal year 2008 budget request to address environmental issues. Officials said the project was already planned for a future budget request and would be needed regardless of whether Grow the Force had occurred. Additionally, GAO determined that 3 Marine Corps projects, totaling $58 million, were to construct facilities for wounded Marines that supported another initiative, not Grow the Force. While most of the fiscal years 2007 and 2008 projects were linked to Grow the Force, it may be more difficult to identify some Marine Corps and Army Reserve projects as supporting the initiative in future budget requests because the Marine Corps may not link installationwide projects to Grow the Force and the Army Reserve plans to identify projects for a related force structure effort as Grow the Force projects. GAO‘s analysis shows that some units will arrive at installations before facilities are constructed; however, the Army does not plan to purchase or lease temporary facilities, while the Marine Corps plans to do so to bridge the gap between when units are established and permanent facilities are constructed. The Army plans to use existing facilities, including facilities vacated by deployed units, to bridge the gap between the time when personnel arrive and the completion date of construction projects. The majority of new units will be established at Marine Corps installations before permanent facilities are complete and will require temporary facilities. The Marine Corps requested $147 million in fiscal year 2008 for temporary facilities, including armories and trailers, to bridge the gap between the time units arrive and the completion date of construction projects. A Marine Corps official expects that additional funding for temporary facilities will be required but the extent of the funding requirements have not yet been determined. To view the full product, including the scope and methodology, click on [hyperlink, http://www.GAO-08-375]. For more information, contact Brian J. Lepore at (202) 512-4523 or leporeb@gao.gov. [End of section] Contents: Letter: Results in Brief: Background: Army and Marine Corps Used a Compressed Version of the Typical Process to Determine Construction Projects for Grow the Force: Most Projects Support Grow the Force, but Some Lack a Clear Link to the Initiative: Army's and Marine Corps' Plans to Use Temporary Facilities: Concluding Observations: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: Appendix I: Scope and Methodology: Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense: Appendix III: Assessment of Army Grow the Force Projects: Appendix IV: Assessment of Marine Corps Grow the Force Projects: Appendix V: Assessment of Army National Guard Grow the Force Projects: Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: Tables: Table 1: Proposed Army and Marine Corps Increase in End Strength from 2007 through 2013: Table 2: Army and Marine Corps Estimated Military Construction and Family Housing Funding Requirements for Grow the Force, Fiscal Year 2007 through Fiscal Year 2013: Table 3: Analysis of Army and Marine Corps Projects Requested in Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 for Grow the Force: Table 4: Assessment of Army Grow the Force Projects: Table 5: Assessment of Marine Corps Grow the Force Projects: Table 6: Assessment of Army National Guard Grow the Force Projects: Figures: Figure 1: Army's Process for Developing Grow the Force Construction Projects Included in the Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 Budget Requests Compared with the Typical Process: Figure 2: Marine Corps' Process for Developing Grow the Force Construction Projects Included in the Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 Supplemental Budget Requests Compared with the Typical Process: United States Government Accountability Office: Washington, DC 20548: March 6, 2008: The Honorable Tim Johnson: Chairman: The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison: Ranking Member: Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: Committee on Appropriations: United States Senate: The Honorable Chet Edwards: Chairman: The Honorable Zach Wamp: Ranking Member: Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies: Committee on Appropriations: House of Representatives: In January 2007 the President announced a permanent increase in the Army and Marine Corps end strength through the Grow the Force initiative to enhance overall U.S. forces, reduce stress on deployable personnel, and provide necessary forces for success in the Global War on Terrorism.[Footnote 1] This planned expansion will increase the Army's end strength by more than 74,000 soldiers by 2013 and the Marine Corps' end strength by 27,000 Marines by 2011. Currently, the Army and Marine Corps estimate that the construction of operational and support facilities and housing associated with this expansion will total more than $17 billion through 2013.[Footnote 2] The Army and Marine Corps have already requested more than $3 billion for construction projects related to the expansion in the Department of Defense's (DOD) fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 budget requests.[Footnote 3] Grow the Force is just one of several initiatives--including Base Realignment and Closure, Army modularity, and overseas rebasing--that will require a significant investment in military construction. In the report accompanying its 2008 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, the House Appropriations Committee raised concerns about the Army's and Marine Corps' ability to adequately plan for and execute the military construction and family housing projects that support the proposed end strength increase over the next 5 years. The committee report directed us to review the planning and budgeting process for military construction projects associated with Grow the Force submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008.[Footnote 4] In response to that direction we examined (1) the process the Army and Marine Corps used to develop the construction projects to accommodate the increased end strength due to the Grow the Force initiative, (2) the extent to which the construction projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 support the initiative, and (3) whether the Army and Marine Corps plan to use temporary facilities while construction projects are completed. To examine the process the Army and Marine Corps used to develop construction projects to accommodate the increased end strength, we reviewed information about the process typically used to develop construction projects and the process the Army and Marine Corps used to develop Grow the Force construction projects. We discussed this process with knowledgeable officials in the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisitions, Technology and Logistics; key offices within the Army, Army National Guard, Army Reserve, and Marine Corps headquarters; and selected Army and Marine Corps installations. To determine the extent to which the construction projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 support the Grow the Force initiative, we analyzed key documents, including budget justification documents for all construction projects submitted for the fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request, the fiscal year 2008 Global War on Terrorism supplemental budget request, and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. We included in our scope only those projects that the Army and Marine Corps submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008. We determined that a project supported the Grow the Force initiative if budget justification documentation for the project stated that it supported the initiative, cited a particular unit that was being established or increasing in size as part of the Grow the Force initiative, and referred to a capacity issue due to the additional personnel. If the budget justification documentation did not provide sufficient information to determine whether the project supported the Grow the Force initiative, we discussed the project with officials at the service headquarters or the installation to obtain the needed information. We discussed our methodology and assessment of whether projects supported the Grow the Force initiative with Army and Marine Corps officials, who generally agreed with our approach. While we evaluated the extent to which the projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 supported the Grow the Force initiative, we did not validate the need for projects. To determine whether the Army and Marine Corps planned to use temporary facilities, we reviewed Army and Marine Corps stationing plans and project documentation and interviewed knowledgeable officials within the Army and Marine Corps headquarters and selected Army and Marine Corps installations. We conducted this performance audit from June 2007 through March 2008 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. Further details on our scope and methodology are in appendix I. Results in Brief: The Army and Marine Corps followed their typical process for developing Grow the Force construction projects submitted in the fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 budget requests, except that the process was compressed due to the short period of time between when the initiative was announced and budget justification documentation was submitted. For example, the active duty Army took about 2 months to develop Grow the Force construction projects included in its fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request and the Marine Corps took 6 months to develop projects submitted in its fiscal years 2007 and 2008 supplemental budget requests, while the typical process takes about 2 years. Due to the limited time to develop projects, a Marine Corps headquarters official said projects that the installations submitted in the President's fiscal year 2008 budget were developed using the typical process and moved up from future budget requests, rather than new projects developed specifically for Grow the Force. Nearly all of the military construction projects submitted as Grow the Force projects in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 supported the Grow the Force initiative. Specifically, we found that 68 of the 69 projects submitted by the Army and Army National Guard, totaling more than $2.3 billion, and 37 of the 49 projects submitted by the Marine Corps, totaling more than $665 million, supported Grow the Force. However, we found that one Army project to upgrade a railroad yard at Fort Lewis, Washington ($14.6 million) did not support Grow the Force. This project was to address an existing deficiency that would not necessarily be made worse by additional personnel from Grow the Force and was needed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred. Likewise, we determined that 12 Marine Corps projects, totaling $210 million, did not support the Grow the Force initiative. Specifically, the Marine Corps included 7 projects, totaling $137 million, that address existing facility deficiencies that would not necessarily be made worse by additional personnel from Grow the Force and would be needed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred, and 5 projects, totaling nearly $73 million, to construct facilities that support other initiatives, including an initiative for wounded Marines. Our analysis shows that some units will arrive at installations before facilities are constructed; however, the Army does not plan to purchase or lease temporary facilities, while the Marine Corps plans to do so to bridge the gap between when units are established and permanent facilities are constructed. The Army plans to use existing facilities, including facilities vacated by deployed units, to bridge the gap between the time new units arrive at the installation and when construction projects are completed and has not yet requested additional funding for temporary facilities. The Marine Corps has requested $147 million for temporary facilities to bridge the gap between the time new units arrive at the installation and when construction projects are completed. A Headquarters Marine Corps official expects that the Marine Corps will need additional funding in the future for temporary facilities, but has not yet determined the extent of the funding requirements. Officials from Marine Corps installations that we met with said temporary facilities will be used as long as they are needed to bridge the gap between when a unit arrives and the permanent facility is completed--usually about 3 to 7 years. In written comments on a draft of this report, DOD disagreed with our assessment that 1 Army project and 12 Marine Corps projects did not support Grow the Force. However, we did not change our report because DOD did not provide sufficient documentation that the existing capacity issues these projects were designed to address would be exacerbated by additional personnel from Grow the Force. DOD's comments and our evaluation of them are in the agency comments section of this report. DOD also provided technical comments, which we incorporated as appropriate. DOD's comments are reproduced in appendix II. Background: The Grow the Force initiative will increase the end strength of the Army and Marine Corps collectively by more than 100,000 by 2013, as shown in table 1. Table 1: Proposed Army and Marine Corps Increase in End Strength from 2007 through 2013: Service: Active Army[A]; Fiscal year 2007: 36,000[B]; Fiscal year 2008: 7,000; Fiscal year 2009: 7,000; Fiscal year 2010: 7,000; Fiscal year 2011: 7,000; Fiscal year 2012: 1,000; Fiscal year 2013: 0; Total increase: 65,000. Service: Army Reserve; Fiscal year 2007: 0; Fiscal year 2008: 0; Fiscal year 2009: 0; Fiscal year 2010: 0; Fiscal year 2011: 0; Fiscal year 2012: 0; Fiscal year 2013: 1,010; Total increase: 1,010. Service: Army National Guard[A]; Fiscal year 2007: 0; Fiscal year 2008: 1,319; Fiscal year 2009: 1,247; Fiscal year 2010: 1,335; Fiscal year 2011: 1,432; Fiscal year 2012: 1,487; Fiscal year 2013: 1,381; Total increase: 8,201. Service: Marine Corps; Fiscal year 2007: 9,000[C]; Fiscal year 2008: 5,000; Fiscal year 2009: 5,000; Fiscal year 2010: 5,000; Fiscal year 2011: 3,000; Fiscal year 2012: 0; Fiscal year 2013: 0; Total increase: 27,000. Service: Total; Fiscal year 2007: 45,000; Fiscal year 2008: 13,319; Fiscal year 2009: 13,247; Fiscal year 2010: 13,335; Fiscal year 2011: 11,432; Fiscal year 2012: 2,487; Fiscal year 2013: 2,391; Total increase: 101,211. Source: DOD. [A] In September 2007, the Secretary of Defense approved the Army's proposal to complete the growth of the active Army and Army National Guard by 2010. This table does not reflect the accelerated growth because DOD has not yet requested funding to accelerate the growth. [B] About 30,000 soldiers are part of the temporary end strength increase that was made permanent in the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. [C] About 5,000 Marines are part of the temporary end strength increase that was made permanent in the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007. [End of table] The Army and Marine Corps are using personnel from their increased end strength to establish new units, as well as adding personnel to existing units. The Army's increased end strength will be used to create six new Brigade Combat Teams (21,000 soldiers),[Footnote 5] establish new combat support and combat service support units (16,000 soldiers),[Footnote 6] address shortfalls in existing units (13,000 soldiers), and establish additional training and headquarter capabilities (15,000 soldiers). The Army Reserve is adding two new brigades to its force structure and the Army National Guard will add new units and add personnel to existing units to increase its military police, engineering, and medical units to increase combat support and combat service support capabilities. The Marine Corps is using personnel from its increased end strength to establish new units and add personnel to existing units to address shortfalls in critical occupations, including military police, infantry battalions, intelligence battalions, and explosive ordnance disposal teams. DOD projects that facility requirements associated with Grow the Force will cost more than $17 billion, as shown in table 2.[Footnote 7] Table 2: Army and Marine Corps Estimated Military Construction and Family Housing Funding Requirements for Grow the Force, Fiscal Year 2007 through Fiscal Year 2013 (Dollars in millions): Service: Army[A]; Military construction and family housing funding requested in fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008: $2,769[B]; Estimated military construction and family housing requests (fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 2013): $7,489; Total estimated military construction and family housing requests (fiscal year 2007 through fiscal year 2013): $10,259. Service: Marine Corps; Military construction and family housing funding requested in fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008: $951[C]; Estimated military construction and family housing requests (fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 2013): $6,134; Total estimated military construction and family housing requests (fiscal year 2007 through fiscal year 2013): $7,085. Service: Total; Military construction and family housing funding requested in fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008: $3,720; Estimated military construction and family housing requests (fiscal year 2009 through fiscal year 2013): $13,623; Total estimated military construction and family housing requests (fiscal year 2007 through fiscal year 2013): $17,344. Source: DOD. Note: Totals may not sum due to rounding. [A] Army funding data include costs for the Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard. [B] Funding total includes $401 million for planning and design in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 and about $16 million for projects that were added to the fiscal year 2008 appropriations. [C] Funding total includes about $75 million for planning and design in fiscal years 2007 and 2008. [End of table] The Army requested about $2.8 billion for military construction in its budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, including over $400 million in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request.[Footnote 8] The remaining $7.5 billion is for projects to support new combat support and combat service support units; new brigade combat teams;[Footnote 9] and quality of life projects, such as child development centers, at installations that are gaining additional personnel. The Marine Corps requested $951 million for military construction in its budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, including approximately $493 million in the supplemental budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008. The remaining $6.1 billion will include projects for newly established units or units increasing in size through Grow the Force and quality of life projects. Army and Marine Corps Used a Compressed Version of the Typical Process to Determine Construction Projects for Grow the Force: The Army and Marine Corps followed all of the steps typically used to determine construction projects when they developed the Grow the Force construction projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008, but the process was compressed.[Footnote 10] Specifically, the limited time available between when the Grow the Force initiative was announced and the fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 budget requests were submitted gave the services less time than during the typical process to develop and submit projects. The Army's typical process for developing construction projects generally takes over 2 years; however, the Army completed the process in about 2 months for Grow the Force projects included in its fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. In general, the Army's typical process to develop construction projects includes five steps: (1) Army headquarters provides guidance to installations, (2) installation officials develop construction projects, (3) construction projects are submitted to Army headquarters for review and approval, (4) senior Army officials review and approve construction projects, and (5) construction projects are included in the Army budget for submission to Congress. For Grow the Force projects included in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request, the Army included all of the steps from the typical process, but completed them in a compressed time frame, as shown in figure 1.[Footnote 11] Figure 1: Army's Process for Developing Grow the Force Construction Projects Included in the Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 Budget Requests Compared with the Typical Process: [See PDF for image] This figure is an illustration of the Army's Process for Developing Grow the Force Construction Projects Included in the Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 Budget Requests Compared with the Typical Process. The following information is depicted: Army process: (1) Army headquarters provides construction guidance. (2) Public Works officials at the installations develop construction projects. (3) Projects submitted to Installation Command and the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management for review. (4) Projects are presented to the Army Military Construction Integrated Product Team and Project Review Board and reviewed and prioritized by senior Army leadership. (5) The construction projects are submitted into the Army budget and Future Years Defense Program and submitted to Congress. Grow the Force: The entire process to develop Grow the Force construction projects occurred in February and March 2007. In those two months: 2 weeks for #'s 1 and 2; 6 weeks for #'s 3, 4[A], and 5. Typical: 2 years, 3 months: Headquarters review, prioritization, ans submission to Congress; #'s 1 and 2 5 months; Headquarters provides guidance, installations submit projects; #3: 7 months; #4: 6 months; #5: 9 months. Source: GAO analysis of Army data. [A] The Army did not present Grow the Force projects to the Project Review Board due to the compressed time frames for developing and submitting projects. [End of figure] According to Army officials, projects submitted in the President's fiscal year 2009 budget request were also developed using the steps of the typical process in a compressed time frame. The projects were developed in about 6 months instead of 2 years. Army officials expect that Grow the Force projects submitted in the President's fiscal year 2010 budget request and beyond will follow the typical process and time frames. As with the Army, the Marine Corps' process for developing construction projects generally takes about 2 years; however, the Marine Corps completed the process in 6 months for Grow the Force projects included in DOD's supplemental budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008. In general, the Marine Corps' typical process for developing construction projects includes 6 steps: (1) Marine Corps headquarters sends guidance on facility projects to the installations, (2) installations develop project proposals and submit them to Marine Corps headquarters, (3) a military construction review board prioritizes the projects and sets funding limits, (4) the Naval Facilities Engineering Command reviews projects and validates the cost and scope of the projects, (5) Marine Corps headquarters reviews projects, and (6) construction projects are included in the Department of the Navy budget for submission to Congress. For Grow the Force projects included in the fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 supplemental budget requests, the Marine Corps included all of the steps from the typical process, but completed them in a compressed time frame, as shown in figure 2. [Footnote 12] Figure 2: Marine Corps' Process for Developing Grow the Force Construction Projects Included in the Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 Supplemental Budget Requests Compared with the Typical Process: [See PDF for image] This figure is an illustration of the Marine Corps' Process for Developing Grow the Force Construction Projects Included in the Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 Supplemental Budget Requests Compared with the Typical Process. The following information is depicted: Marine Corps process: (1) Headquarters Marine Corps send guidance on facilities to installations. (2) Installations develop and submit proposals for construction projects to Headquarters Marine Corps. (3) Military Construction Review Board prioritizes projects and sets funding limits. (4) Headquarters Marine Corps reviews projects in terms of cost and scope. (5) Construction projects are included in the Department of the Navy budget for submission to Congress. Grow the Force: The entire process to develop Grow the Force construction projects occurred from September 2006 through February 2007. During that six month period: #1: 2 weeks; #2: 6 weeks; #'s 3[A], 4, and 5: 2 months; #6: 2 months. Typical: About 2 years; #1: 1 month; #2: 4 months; #3: 2 months; #4: 6-7 months; $5: 1 month; #6: 9 months. Source: GAO analysis of Marine Corps data. [A] Since Grow the Force projects included in the fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 supplemental budget requests had priority for funding, they did not go through the Military Construction Review Board; however, a Marine Corps headquarters official notified the review board of these projects. [End of figure] Similarly, the Marine Corps followed all of the steps of the typical process for Grow the Force projects submitted in the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. A Marine Corps headquarters official said that the installations did not submit new projects developed specifically for Grow the Force in the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. Rather, they submitted projects that were already in the development process for future budget requests due to the limited time available to develop projects and environmental reporting requirements. Installations followed the typical process when developing these projects. According to a Marine Corps official, installations followed the typical process to develop projects included in the President's fiscal year 2009 budget request and had the same amount of time to develop projects, although Marine Corps headquarters provided the guidance to installations to develop projects about a month later than for the typical process and installations submitted projects to Marine Corps headquarters about a month later than usual. A Marine Corps official expects that Grow the Force projects submitted in the President's fiscal year 2010 budget request and beyond will follow the typical process and time frames for developing construction projects. As with the Army and Marine Corps, Army National Guard projects included in the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request were developed following the typical military construction process. According to a National Guard Bureau official, the Army National Guard's process to determine projects for the President's fiscal year 2009 budget request was the same as the typical military construction process; however, the projects were developed in a compressed time frame. The Army National Guard's Grow the Force projects submitted in the President's fiscal year 2010 budget request and beyond will follow the typical process and time frames. Unlike the other components, the Army Reserve has not yet requested Grow the Force construction funding, but Army Reserve officials said that they have followed their typical process and time frames to develop construction projects to be included in future budget requests. Most Projects Support Grow the Force, but Some Lack a Clear Link to the Initiative: We found that nearly all of the Grow the Force construction projects submitted by the Army and Army National Guard, and most by the Marine Corps, in DOD's fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 budget requests supported the initiative. Specifically, we found that 65 Army projects, 3 Army National Guard projects, and 37 Marine Corps projects supported Grow the Force, but 13 projects did not, as shown in table 3.[Footnote 13] Table 3: Analysis of Army and Marine Corps Projects Requested in Fiscal Years 2007 and 2008 for Grow the Force (Dollars in thousands): Army: Supports Grow the Force: Number of projects: 65; Supports Grow the Force: Total budget request: $2,260,050; Does not support Grow the Force: Number of projects: 1; Does not support Grow the Force: Total budget request: $14,600. Army National Guard: Supports Grow the Force: Number of projects: 3; Supports Grow the Force: Total budget request: 77,000; Does not support Grow the Force: Number of projects: 0; Does not support Grow the Force: Total budget request: 0. Marine Corps: Supports Grow the Force: Number of projects: 37; Supports Grow the Force: Total budget request: 665,560; Does not support Grow the Force: Number of projects: 12; Does not support Grow the Force: Total budget request: 210,220. Total: Supports Grow the Force: Number of projects: 105; Supports Grow the Force: Total budget request: $3,002,610; Does not support Grow the Force: Number of projects: 13; Does not support Grow the Force: Total budget request: $224,820. Source: GAO analysis of DOD data. [End of table] We determined that one Army project to upgrade a railroad yard at Fort Lewis, Washington, did not support Grow the Force because the project is in response to an existing deficiency. Specifically, the Army's budget justification states that current facilities are overtaxed to support deployment from Fort Lewis as a result of growth through other Army initiatives. While approximately 2,000 personnel are being added to Fort Lewis through Grow the Force, we assessed this project as not supporting Grow the Force because the project was needed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred and we did not identify a clear link between the additional personnel and an increased number of deployments, which would exacerbate the current capacity issues at the railroad yard. An official in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management agreed with our assessment. As a result of the compressed time frame to develop and submit projects, we found that the 22 projects submitted by the Marine Corps in the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request had already been planned and were moved up from future years' budgets to meet existing deficiencies. We determined that 10 of these projects would support the Grow the Force increase because the existing deficiencies would be exacerbated by having more Marines on the installation due to the Grow the Force initiative. For example, officials from Twentynine Palms, California, said that they had already planned to include projects in their fiscal year 2010 and fiscal year 2011 military construction budget requests to build operations facilities designed to house multiple battalions due to existing deficiencies in administrative space on the installation. While the projects were not originally intended for the new personnel, installation officials identified these as projects that could be moved up to meet the new requirements for Grow the Force. However, we determined that the remaining 12 of the 22 projects totaling $210 million did not support the initiative because they address existing deficiencies rather than new units associated with Grow the Force, or address initiatives other than Grow the Force. We found that 7 of the Marine Corps projects totaling $137 million do not support Grow the Force because they address existing deficiencies on the installations that needed to be addressed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred and we could not clearly identify that existing capacity issues these projects were designed to address would be exacerbated by additional personnel from Grow the Force. For example, the Marine Corps included a $7 million wastewater system modification project at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, which budget justification documentation indicates is needed to limit environmental impacts and does not make reference to capacity issues from additional personnel through Grow the Force. Additionally, installation officials said this project would be needed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred and was already planned to be included in a future budget request. Similarly, according to project documentation and information from installation officials, two projects to construct new operations facilities at Camp Pendleton, California, were to address existing quality issues, rather than capacity issues resulting from additional Marines added to the facility through Grow the Force. Additionally, we determined that 5 of the 12 projects that did not support Grow the Force, totaling nearly $73 million, supported other initiatives. For example, the Marine Corps submitted 2 projects for physical security upgrades that support installation security and force protection efforts, rather than supporting Grow the Force. The remaining three projects were barracks at Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton and a headquarters building at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia, totaling $58 million, that support an initiative for wounded Marines, rather than Grow the Force.[Footnote 14] Marine Corp officials agreed that the 3 Wounded Warrior projects do not support the Grow the Force initiative. However, Marine Corps officials disagreed with our assessment that the remaining 9 projects do not support Grow the Force because they believe that each of the projects will help the installations manage issues related to additional personnel on the installation. While most of the Army, Army National Guard, and Marine Corps projects were clearly linked to Grow the Force, it may be more difficult to identify some Marine Corps and Army Reserve projects as supporting the initiative in future budget requests. Specifically, a Marine Corps official expected that installations would identify future unit- specific construction projects related to Grow the Force as supporting the initiative in budget justification documentation. However, the official expected that installationwide projects, including mess halls or quality of life projects, such as child development centers, would not be clearly linked to Grow the Force in future budget justifications because these installationwide projects would benefit and be used by all of the personnel on the installation, rather than only those added through Grow the Force. Further, we found that the Army Reserve, which submitted its first Grow the Force projects in the President's fiscal year 2009 budget request, plans to link projects that support other related force structure changes to Grow the Force in budget justification documentation. Specifically, Army Reserve officials said they plan to link projects for about 16,000 soldiers to Grow the Force even though these personnel are not part of Grow the Force. These 16,000 soldiers are part of a related effort to realign the Army's forces to better match operational needs, called rebalancing, and it is not clear what the facility requirements for these personnel may include. Unless budget justification documents clearly and appropriately link projects to the Grow the Force initiative, Congress will not have full visibility over the military construction projects associated with the Grow the Force initiative. Army's and Marine Corps' Plans to Use Temporary Facilities: Our analysis shows that some units will arrive at installations before facilities are constructed; however, the Army does not plan to purchase or lease temporary facilities, while the Marine Corps plans to do so to bridge the gap between when units are established and permanent facilities are constructed. Our analysis shows that units will be established at 11 Army installations prior to the completion of planned construction projects. However, the Army has not requested funding to purchase or lease temporary facilities to support the additional forces. To bridge the gap, the Army plans to utilize existing space, including space vacated by units deploying overseas, to accommodate the additional personnel. For example, installation officials at Fort Carson, Colorado, said they have used space temporarily vacated by brigade combat teams deployed overseas to accommodate additional personnel at the installation. However, the officials expressed concern about whether they would continue to have sufficient space on the installation to accommodate additional personnel with brigade combat teams returning from overseas deployments. According to National Guard Bureau officials, the Army National Guard will have units established before the completion of facilities for those units; however, the states, which are responsible for stationing personnel, have not yet submitted requests for any leased facilities. The majority of new Marine Corps units established between fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2011 will arrive at installations before permanent facilities are available. The Marine Corps requested $147 million in the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request and plans to purchase or lease about 1,500 temporary facilities to house units while permanent facilities are completed. The majority of these facilities will be used at Camp Pendleton, California; Twentynine Palms, California; and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. For example, Camp Pendleton requested nearly $40 million to lease some temporary facilities, such as office trailers, and purchase other temporary facilities, such as armories. In its fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request, the Marine Corps requested $18 million to purchase temporary facilities for Twentynine Palms, including trailers, portable armories, and storage containers, to accommodate the increase in end strength until permanent facilities are completed. Camp Lejeune, which is receiving the largest end strength increase from Grow the Force, requested funding to lease trailers and purchase portable armories, which installation officials said would be used until the permanent facilities are complete. Each installation is responsible for determining temporary facility needs, and Marine Corps officials noted that temporary facility needs could vary from day to day depending on what units are deploying or being established and the type of space that is needed. According to installation officials we spoke with, temporary facilities will typically be used for 3 to 7 years, depending on the time between when units arrive at the installation and when construction is complete. A Marine Corps headquarters official expects that the Marine Corps will need additional funding for temporary facilities in the future, but has not yet determined the extent of the funding requirements. Concluding Observations: While most projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 that were identified as Grow the Force projects showed a clear link to the Grow the Force initiative, some future Marine Corps and Army Reserve projects may not be clearly and appropriately identified as supporting Grow the Force. While the Marine Corps intends to clearly identify unit-specific projects as part of the initiative, the link between Grow the Force and installationwide projects may not be clear. Moreover, Army Reserve officials plan to link construction projects that do not support the end strength increase to Grow the Force. Because the Marine Corps intends to make some linkage between the projects and Grow the Force and the Army Reserve had not yet submitted projects for Grow the Force at the time of our review, we are not making a recommendation at this time. Additionally, it is not clear whether the active duty Army can accommodate the increased personnel through Grow the Force using only existing facilities, particularly since the Army plans to complete its active duty end strength increase by 2010, rather than 2013, as originally estimated. Because we did not examine whether the Army's temporary facilities' plan was efficient or feasible, we are not making a recommendation at this time. Agency Comments and Our Evaluation: In commenting on a draft of this report, DOD stated that it disagreed with our assessment that 1 Army project and 12 Marine Corps projects did not support Grow the Force. DOD did not provide sufficient documentation that the existing capacity issues these projects were designed to address would be exacerbated by additional personnel from Grow the Force, which is why these projects did not meet our criteria for supporting Grow the Force. We agree that projects that address existing deficiencies, in addition to any number of other projects that DOD might undertake without being explicitly established for Grow the Force, can also enable DOD's implementation of the Grow the Force initiative; our report does not say otherwise. It is important to note that we did not assess whether the projects were needed on an installation, but only whether DOD could provide sufficient documentation that the project met our criteria for supporting Grow the Force. For these reasons, we have not changed our report. DOD's comments are reprinted in appendix II. DOD also provided technical comments, which we incorporated into this report as appropriate. We are sending copies of this report to the Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy, Commandant of the Marine Corps, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget. We will also make copies available to others upon request. In addition, this report will be available at no charge on GAO's Web site at [hyperlink http://www.gao.gov]. If you or your staff have any questions concerning this report, please contact me at (202) 512-4523 or leporeb@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page of this report. GAO staff who made contributions to this report are listed in appendix VI. Signed by: Brian J. Lepore: Director: Defense Capabilities and Management: [End of section] Appendix I: Scope and Methodology: To examine the process the Army and Marine Corps used to develop construction projects for Grow the Force, we reviewed information on the Army's and Marine Corps' typical processes for identifying construction projects and the Army and Marine Corps stationing plans. Additionally, we interviewed knowledgeable officials with the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics; the Army's Assistant Chief of Staff for Installation Management, Operations and Plans (G-3), Program Analysis & Evaluation (G-8), Army Force Management (G-3), Installation Management Command, and the Army Corps of Engineers; Headquarters Marine Corps, Marine Corps Combat Development and Integration Command, and Naval Facilities Engineering Command; National Guard Bureau; and Army Reserve. We also contacted and visited officials at selected Army and Marine Corps installations, including Fort Bragg, North Carolina; Fort Carson, Colorado; Fort Lewis, Washington; Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; Camp Pendleton, California; and Twentynine Palms, California, to discuss the process to determine construction requirements. We selected these installations based on (1) the total amount of funding requested for Grow the Force projects in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 and (2) the number of personnel to be added to the installation through 2013 as a result of Grow the Force. To determine the extent to which Grow the Force projects submitted by the Army, Marine Corps, and Army National Guard supported the initiative, we analyzed budget justification documentation for projects submitted for the fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request, the fiscal year 2008 Global War on Terrorism supplemental budget request, and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. We included in our scope only those projects that the Army and Marine Corps submitted in the fiscal years 2007 and 2008 budget requests. Using the data in the budget justification documentation for each project, we categorized projects as either supporting Grow the Force or not supporting Grow the Force based on three criteria: (1) a statement affirming the project was in support of Grow the Force, (2) information that the project was for a unit being established as part of Grow the Force, and (3) reference to a capacity issue due to the additional personnel. In cases where we could not determine whether the project met our criteria, we sought additional information from appropriate headquarters or installation officials. We discussed our methodology and assessment with the appropriate Army and Marine Corps officials, who generally agreed with our approach. While we evaluated the extent to which projects submitted in DOD's budget requests for fiscal years 2007 and 2008 supported the Grow the Force initiative, we did not validate the need for projects. To examine the Army's and Marine Corps' planned use of temporary facilities, we reviewed the Army's and Marine Corps' stationing plans and analyzed project documentation included in the Army and Marine Corps budget requests as well as documentation provided by the Marine Corps installations to determine which units may need temporary facilities. For the Army, we analyzed the difference between the date that construction is expected to be completed and the date units are expected to be established at the installation for unit-specific projects included in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request to determine the extent to which temporary facilities may be required. For the Marine Corps we analyzed project documentation for temporary facilities and documentation about temporary facilities provided by the installations and compared this information to the total number of new Grow the Force units for fiscal year 2007 through fiscal year 2011 to see how many units would require temporary facilities. Additionally, we interviewed knowledgeable officials in the Army, Army National Guard, and Marine Corps headquarters and selected Army and Marine Corps installations to discuss the overall strategy for temporary facilities, as well as installation-specific strategies. We conducted this performance audit from June 2007 through March 2008 in accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient, appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions based on our audit objectives. [End of section] Appendix II: Comments from the Department of Defense: Acquisition, Technology And Logistics: Office Of The Under Secretary Of Defense: 3000 Defense Pentagon: Washington, DC 20301-3000: February 22, 2008: Mr. Brian J. Lepore: Director, Defense Capabilities and Management: U.S. Government Accountability Office: 441 G Street, NW: Washington, DC 20548: Dear Mr. Lepore: The Department of Defense (DoD) response to the GAO draft report GAO-08- 375, "Defense Infrastructure: Army and Marine Corps Grow the Force Construction Projects Generally Support the Initiative", dated January 22, 2008 (GAO Code 351057), is enclosed. The Department disagrees with the GAO assertion that some of the U.S. Army (USA) and U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) military construction (MILCON) projects do not support Grow the Force (GTF). My point of contact for this matter is Ms. Patty Vaught, (703) 571- 9069, Patricia.Vaught@osd.mil. Sincerely, Signed by: Wayne Arny: Deputy Under Secretary of Defense: (Installations and Environment): Enclosure: As stated: [End of section] Appendix III: Assessment of Army Grow the Force Projects: Table 4 shows our assessment of the Army's Grow the Force projects submitted in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. We determined that 65 of the Army's projects support Grow the Force, while 1 project does not support Grow the Force because it addresses an existing deficiency that needed to be addressed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred. Table 4: Assessment of Army Grow the Force Projects (Dollars in thousands): Fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request: Location: Fort Carson, CO; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: $18,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Stewart, GA; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 30,500; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Riley, KS; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 24,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Campbell, KY; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 18,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Project: Trainee Barracks Complex; Supports Grow the Force: 77,100; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Drum, NY; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 14,600; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bragg, NC; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 11,800; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bliss, TX; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 38,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Hood, TX; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 18,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. President's fiscal year 2008 budget request; Does not support Grow the Force: Location: Fort Richardson, AK; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 42,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Richardson, AK; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 36,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Richardson, AK; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 14,800; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Wainwright, AK; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 11,600; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Wainwright, AK; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 20,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Huachuca, AZ; Project: General Instructional Building; Supports Grow the Force: 13,600; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Huachuca, AZ; Project: Advanced Individual Training Trainee Complex; Supports Grow the Force: 105,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Carson, CO; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 59,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Carson, CO; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 53,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Carson, CO; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 13,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Carson, CO; Project: Hospital Addition and Dental Clinic; Supports Grow the Force: 18,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Carson, CO; Project: Family Housing Privatization; Supports Grow the Force: 98,300; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Stewart, GA (Hunter Army Airfield); Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 16,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Stewart, GA; Project: Fire Station; Supports Grow the Force: $5,500; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Stewart, GA; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 25,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Stewart, GA; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 15,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leavenworth, KS; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 23,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leavenworth, KS; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 12,800; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Riley, KS; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 43,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Riley, KS; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 50,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Riley, KS; Project: Child Development Center; Supports Grow the Force: 8,500; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Riley, KS; Project: Health and Dental Clinic; Supports Grow the Force: 8,800; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Campbell, KY; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 24,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Campbell, KY; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 27,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Project: Automated Multipurpose Machine Gun Range; Supports Grow the Force: 4,150; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Project: Automated Pistol Range; Supports Grow the Force: 2,700; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 56,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 26,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Leonard Wood, MO; Project: Dining Facility-Basic Combat Training Complex; Supports Grow the Force: 22,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: White Sands Missile Range, NM; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 71,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Drum, NY; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 41,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Drum, NY; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 38,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Drum, NY; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 61,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bragg, NC; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 73,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bragg, NC; Project: Unit Maintenance Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 88,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bragg, NC; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 54,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bragg, NC; Project: Family Housing Privatization; Supports Grow the Force: 59,400; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Jackson, SC; Project: Basic Training Complex; Supports Grow the Force: 85,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bliss, TX; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 11,400; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bliss, TX; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 84,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bliss, TX; Project: Health and Dental Clinic; Supports Grow the Force: 16,500; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Bliss, TX; Project: Family Housing Privatization; Supports Grow the Force: 35,600; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Hood, TX; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 46,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Hood, TX; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 45,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Sam Houston, TX; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 10,600; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Sam Houston, TX; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 6,600; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Eustis, VA; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: $32,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Eustis, VA; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 43,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Lee, VA; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 9,800; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Lee, VA; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 6,900; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Myer, VA; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 8,400; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Myer, VA; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 12,400; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Lewis, WA; Project: Railroad Yard Upgrade; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: $14,600. Location: Fort Lewis, WA; Project: Barracks; Supports Grow the Force: 32,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Lewis, WA; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 62,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Lewis, WA; Project: Unit Operations Facilities; Supports Grow the Force: 51,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Location: Fort Lewis, WA; Project: Family Housing Privatization; Supports Grow the Force: 72,700; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Total: Supports Grow the Force: $2,260,050; Does not support Grow the Force: $14,600. Total number of projects: Supports Grow the Force: 65; Does not support Grow the Force: 1. Source: GAO analysis of DOD data. [End of table] [End of section] Appendix IV: Assessment of Marine Corps Grow the Force Projects: Table 5 shows our assessment of the Marine Corps' Grow the Force projects submitted in the fiscal years 2007 and 2008 supplemental budget requests and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. We determined that 37 of the projects support Grow the Force, while 12 projects do not support Grow the Force. Of the 12 projects that do not support Grow the Force, 7 of the projects address existing deficiencies that needed to be addressed regardless of whether Grow the Force occurred and 5 of the projects support another initiative. Table 5: Assessment of Marine Corps Grow the Force Projects (Dollars in thousands): Fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request: Location: Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, AZ; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation; Supports Grow the Force: $1,200; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation; Supports Grow the Force: 39,730; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation; Supports Grow the Force: 4,800; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation; Supports Grow the Force: 27,340; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Kaneohe, HI; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation; Supports Grow the Force: 2,170; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Mess Hall, Hadnot Point; Supports Grow the Force: 16,100; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: 3/9 Maintenance/Operations Complex; Supports Grow the Force: 41,490; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Additions to Regimental Headquarters (Hadnot Point); Supports Grow the Force: 8,600; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Military Police Company Operations Complex (French Creek); Supports Grow the Force: 5,800; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Truck Company Maintenance/Operations (Hadnot Point); Supports Grow the Force: 9,150; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Explosive Ordnance Disposal Addition (French Creek); Supports Grow the Force: 2,570; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: 3/9 Bachelor Enlisted Quarters (Hadnot Point); Supports Grow the Force: 40,560; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation (Base-wide); Supports Grow the Force: 50,670; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, NC; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation; Supports Grow the Force: 27,050; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC; Project: Grow the Force Interim Facility Site Preparation (New River); Supports Grow the Force: $850; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Fiscal year 2008 Global War on Terrorism supplemental budget request: Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance - Intelligence Battalion Addition; Supports Grow the Force: 1,114; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Explosive Ordnance Disposal Operations Facility; Supports Grow the Force: 13,090; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Bachelor Enlisted Quarters and Mess Hall Headquarters (13) Area; Supports Grow the Force: 24,390; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Military Police Company; Supports Grow the Force: 8,240; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Armory, Regimental & Battalion Headquarters, 53 Area (Camp Horno); Supports Grow the Force: 5,160; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: 11th Marine Regimental Headquarters, Armory, Bachelor Enlisted Quarters at 43 Area (Camp Horno); Supports Grow the Force: 34,970; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: 5th Marine Regiment Addition (San Mateo); Supports Grow the Force: 10,890; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Armory, Intelligence Battalion - 16 Area; Supports Grow the Force: 4,180; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Public Private Venture (Phase 6B); Supports Grow the Force: 10,692; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Public Private Venture (Phase 2A); Supports Grow the Force: 1,074; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request: : Regimental Combat Team Headquarters Facility; Supports Grow the Force: Fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request: : 4,440; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Maintenance/Operations Complex 2/9 (Hadnot Point); Supports Grow the Force: 43,340; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. President's fiscal year 2008 budget request: Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: 1st Marine Logistics Group Armory; Supports Grow the Force: 8,150; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: 1st Marine Logistics Group, Group and Battalion Operations Center; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $22,220; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Check[A]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: 1st Marine Logistics Group Operations Center; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: 18,160; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Check[A]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Bachelor Enlisted Quarters-Wounded Warrior Battalion; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: 25,940; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Check[B]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Consolidated Communications and Electronics Shops; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: 16,840; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Check[A]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Force Intelligence Operations Center; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: 24,990; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Check[A]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Pendleton, CA; Project: Public Private Venture; Supports Grow the Force: 25,000; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA; Project: Hanger Modification; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: 26,760; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Check[C]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Landfill; Supports Grow the Force: $13,560; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Military Operations in Urban Terrain Facility; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $21,390; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Check][C]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Multi-Battalion Operations Center; Supports Grow the Force: $33,770; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Multi-Battalion Operations Center; Supports Grow the Force: $33,650; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Armory; Supports Grow the Force: $5,920; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Twentynine Palms, CA; Project: Public Private Venture; Supports Grow the Force: $50,000; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Bachelor Enlisted Quarters - Wounded Warriors Battalion; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $27,270; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Check][B]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Landfill, Phase III; Supports Grow the Force: $14,170; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Main gate, Physical Security Upgrades; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $7,920; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Multi-purpose machine gun range; Supports Grow the Force: $17,250; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Physical Security Upgrades - Piney Green; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $6,660; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Check][D]. Location: Camp Lejeune, NC; Project: Wastewater System Modifications; Supports Grow the Force: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $7,070; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Check][E]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, SC; Project: Consolidated Dining Facility; Supports Grow the Force: $24,430; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Empty]. Location: Marine Corps Base Quantico, VA; Project: Warfare Support Center; Supports Grow the Force: Fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $5,000; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: [Empty]; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: [Check][B]. Total: Supports Grow the Force: $665,560; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: $210,220; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: $137,430; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: $72,790. Total number of projects: Supports Grow the Force: 37; Does not support Grow the Force: Amount of project: 12; Does not support Grow the Force: Addresses existing deficiency: 7; Does not support Grow the Force: Supports another initiative: 5. Source: GAO analysis of DOD data. [A] Project addresses existing quality issues, rather than a capacity issue that would be made worse with the addition of personnel through Grow the Force. [B] Project supports the Wounded Warrior initiative. [C] Project does not support a unit established or increasing in size due to Grow the Force and the project is part of an ongoing multiphase project. [D] Project supports installation security and force protection initiatives. [E] Project provides a backup system to limit environmental impacts, rather than addressing a capacity issue that would be made worse with the addition of personnel through Grow the Force. [End of table] [End of section] Appendix V: Assessment of Army National Guard Grow the Force Projects: Table 6 shows our assessment of the Army National Guard's Grow the Force projects submitted in the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. We determined that all of the Army National Guard's projects support Grow the Force. Table 6: Assessment of Army National Guard Grow the Force Projects (Dollars in thousands): Fiscal year 2008 President's budget: Project: Professional Education Center; Location: Camp Joseph T. Robinson, AR; Supports Grow the Force: $18,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Project: Regional Training Institute; Location: Camp Grafton, ND; Supports Grow the Force: $34,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Project: Regional Training Institute; Location: Fort Pickett, VA; Supports Grow the Force: $25,000; Does not support Grow the Force: [Empty]. Total: Supports Grow the Force: $77,000; Does not support Grow the Force: $0. Total number of projects: Supports Grow the Force: 3; Does not support Grow the Force: 0. Source: GAO analysis of DOD data. [End of table] [End of section] Appendix VI: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments: GAO Contact: Brian J. Lepore, 202-512-4523, leporeb@gao.gov: Staff Acknowledgments: Mike Kennedy, Assistant Director; Hilary Benedict; Renee Brown; Rebecca Guerrero; Linda Keefer; and Elizabeth Morris made key contributions to this report. [End of section] Footnotes: [1] Unless otherwise noted, we include the active duty Army, Army Reserve, and Army National Guard when we refer to the Army. [2] DOD estimates the total cost of the expansion, including military construction funding, will be about $103 billion. [3] The Army submitted Grow the Force projects in its fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. The Marine Corps submitted Grow the Force projects in its fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request, fiscal year 2008 Global War on Terrorism supplemental budget request, and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. [4] H.R. Rep. No. 110-186, at 12 (2007). [5] Brigade combat teams are the modular Army's means of maneuvering against, closing with, and destroying the enemy. Three standard designs make up the maneuver power of the modular Army: heavy brigade combat teams, infantry brigade combat teams, and Stryker brigade combat teams. In December 2007, the Army announced that it will station two infantry brigade combat teams each at Fort Carson, Fort Bliss, and Fort Stewart. [6] Combat support and combat service support units provide various capabilities, including military police, engineering, and transportation capabilities. [7] The Army, including the Army Reserve and Army National Guard, estimates that it will cost about $71.1 billion through fiscal year 2013 to implement the Grow the Force initiative, with military construction comprising about 14 percent ($10.3 billion) of the total. The Marine Corps estimates that it will cost about $32.4 billion to implement the Grow the Force initiative, with military construction comprising about 22 percent ($7.1 billion) of the total. [8] We recently reported on the Army's funding plan for Grow the Force. See GAO, Force Structure: Need for Greater Transparency for the Army's Grow the Force Initiative Funding Plan, GAO-08-354R (Washington, D.C.: Jan. 18, 2008). [9] According to Army officials, facilities to support each brigade combat team will cost about $500 million. [10] The Army included Grow the Force construction projects in its fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. The Marine Corps included Grow the Force construction projects in its fiscal year 2007 supplemental budget request, fiscal year 2008 Global War on Terrorism Supplemental budget request, and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. [11] The Army did not present Grow the Force projects to the Project Review Board due to the compressed time frames for developing and submitting projects. [12] Since Grow the Force projects included in the fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 supplemental budget requests had priority for funding, they did not go through the Military Construction Review Board; however, a Marine Corps headquarters official notified the review board of these projects. [13] Appendixes III, IV, and V provide our assessment of the Army, Marine Corps, and Army National Guard projects submitted in the fiscal year 2007 supplemental request, fiscal year 2008 Global War on Terrorism supplemental budget request, and the President's fiscal year 2008 budget request. [14] In 2006, the Commandant of the Marine Corps directed that the Marine Corps establish a Wounded Warrior Regiment to track and assist wounded marines and sailors. [End of section] GAO's Mission: The Government Accountability Office, the audit, evaluation and investigative arm of Congress, exists to support Congress in meeting its constitutional responsibilities and to help improve the performance and accountability of the federal government for the American people. GAO examines the use of public funds; evaluates federal programs and policies; and provides analyses, recommendations, and other assistance to help Congress make informed oversight, policy, and funding decisions. GAO's commitment to good government is reflected in its core values of accountability, integrity, and reliability. Obtaining Copies of GAO Reports and Testimony: The fastest and easiest way to obtain copies of GAO documents at no cost is through GAO's Web site [hyperlink, http://www.gao.gov]. 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