Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 14. August 2006 / Timeline August 14, 2006
Version 3.513. August 2006, 15. August 2006
08/14/2006
GAO: MILITARY RECRUITING: DOD and
Services Need Better Data to Enhance Visibility over Recruiter
Irregularities.
August 14, 2006
The viability of the All Volunteer Force depends, in large measure,
on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) ability to recruit
several hundred thousand individuals each year. Since the
involvement of U.S. military forces in Iraq in March 2003, several
DOD components have been challenged in meeting their recruiting
goals. In fiscal year 2005 alone, three of the eight active and
reserve components missed their goals. Some recruiters, reportedly,
have resorted to overly aggressive tactics, which can adversely
affect DOD’s ability to recruit and erode public confidence
in the recruiting process. GAO was asked to address the extent to
which DOD and the services have visibility over recruiter
irregularities; what factors may contribute to recruiter
irregularities; and what procedures are in place to address them.
GAO performed its work primarily at the service recruiting commands
and DOD’s Military Entrance Processing Command; examined
recruiting policies, regulations, and directives; and analyzed
service data on recruiter irregularities. GAO is making several
recommendations to improve DOD’s visibility over recruiter
irregularities and the services’ ability to track and report
allegations and incidents of irregularities. In commenting on a
draft of this report, DOD concurred or partially concurred with
four of GAO’s five recommendations.
DOD and the services have limited visibility to determine the
extent to which recruiter irregularities are occurring. DOD, for
example, has not established an oversight framework that includes
guidance requiring the services to maintain and report data on
recruiter irregularities and criteria for characterizing
irregularities and establishing common terminology. The absence of
guidance and criteria makes it difficult to compare and analyze
data across services and limit’s DOD’s ability to
determine when corrective action is needed. Effective federal
managers continually assess and evaluate their programs to provide
accountability and assurance that program objectives are being
achieved. Additionally, the services do not track all allegations
of recruiter wrongdoing. Accordingly, service data likely
underestimate the true number of recruiter irregularities.
Nevertheless, available service data show that between fiscal years
2004 and 2005, allegations and service-identified incidents of
recruiter wrongdoing increased, collectively, from 4,400 cases to
6,600 cases; substantiated cases increased from just over 400 to
almost 630 cases; and criminal violations more than doubled from
just over 30 to almost 70 cases. The department, however, is not in
a sound position to assure Congress and the general public that it
knows the full extent to which recruiter irregularities are
occurring.
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