Year 2000 Computing Challenge

GAO surveyed 34 federal agencies. Of the 13 agencies with classified systems, 12 reported that they included the Year 2000 status of their mission-critical, classified systems in their reports to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB uses the information provided by the agencies to monitor Year 2000 progress across the federal government and to keep Congress informed of the agencies' Year 2000 progress. As of July 1999, the Treasury Department had not reported the status of all its mission-critical, classified systems to OMB. However, it plans to do so in its later reports to OMB. Treasury reported that it has 13 systems that have not been reported to OMB. Of these 13 systems, seven are Year 2000 compliant, five are being repaired, and one is being replaced. The five systems being repaired and the one being replaced are all in the testing and validation phase, according to Treasury.

GAO noted that: (1) of the 34 federal agencies surveyed, 21 agencies reported that they do not have any classified systems; (2) of the remaining 13 federal agencies, 12 agencies reported that they include the year 2000 status of their mission-critical, classified systems in their reports to OMB; (3) OMB uses the information provided by the agencies to monitor year 2000 progress across the federal government and to keep Congress informed of agencies' year 2000 progress; (4) as of July 1999, the Department of the Treasury had not reported the status of all of its mission-critical, classified systems to OMB; (5) however, it plans to do so in its subsequent reports to OMB; (6) Treasury reported that it has 13 systems that are not reported to OMB; (7) of these 13 systems, 7 systems are year 2000 compliant, 5 systems are being repaired, and 1 system is being replaced; and (8) according to Treasury, the 5 systems being repaired and the 1 system being replaced are all in the testing/validation phase.