Temporary Duty Travel in the Management and Operation of Department of Defense Programs

Gao ID: FPCD-77-84 October 28, 1977

The Federal Government spends about $2 billion each year for travel in the management and operation of Federal programs. The Department of Defense (DOD) accounts for about $1.4 billion of this travel, including about $870 million for temporary duty travel in fiscal year 1976. Program managers have primary responsibility for insuring the most effective use of their program budgets, including the nature and extent of travel.

There are important differences in the policies that should be set for the Federal Government for the different types of program-related travel. There are diverse reasons for temporary duty travel such as to perform program inspections and evaluations, to participate in meetings or training programs, and to engage in public relations activities. Guidelines that attempt to cover all these categories seem to be too general for day-to-day use by program managers. Management could improve its control over travel by making internal reviews that emphasize the application of travel policies and procedures to reduce unnecessary travel.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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