Military Education: Additional DOD Guidance Is Needed to Enhance Oversight of the Service Academies and Their Preparatory Schools Page: 2 of 19
This text is part of the collection entitled: Government Accountability Office Reports and was provided to UNT Digital Library by the UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
recommendations. In our report on the academies, we recommended that DOD enhance its
performance goals and measures to improve oversight of the academies' operations and
performance. In our report on the preparatory schools, we recommended that DOD
(1) clarify the mission statements for the preparatory schools, (2) establish performance
goals and quantifiable measures for the schools, and (3) use performance goals and
quantifiable measures to objectively evaluate the performance of the schools. DOD
concurred with each of the recommendations we made in these two reports. See enclosures
I and II for the Highlights pages of those reports. In 2011, the Senate Armed Services
Committee directed us to assess the extent to which DOD has implemented the
recommendations contained in our September 2003 reports.4
To determine the extent to which DOD has implemented our September 2003
recommendations, we assessed whether each recommendation was implemented, partially
implemented, or not implemented. To arrive at these assessments we used the following
criteria:
* Implemented: All actions necessary to implement the recommendation were completed.
* Partially implemented: Some, but not all, actions necessary to implement the
recommendation were completed.
* Not implemented: Minimal or no actions necessary to implement the recommendation
were completed.
To collect information on which we based our assessments, we submitted written questions
to and received written responses from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for
Personnel and Readiness (OUSD (P&R)) and the Departments of the Army, the Navy, and
the Air Force. We also interviewed knowledgeable officials from OUSD (P&R) and from each
of these services, as well as from DOD's Office of General Counsel; reviewed DOD's and
each of the service's policies and guidance on the academies and preparatory schools; and
reviewed various pertinent documents, such as the results of the services' assessments of
the academies and preparatory schools for fiscal years 2009 and 2010, the most recent
available. In addition, we reviewed our previous findings and recommendations. We
evaluated whether DOD had taken action to establish performance goals and quantifiable
measures. However, we did not evaluate the quality or appropriateness of any such goals or
measures. We conducted this performance audit from September 2011 through February
2012 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
objective. We believe that the evidence obtained provides a reasonable basis for our
findings and conclusions based on our audit objective.
Background
The Service Academies and Preparatory Schools
The U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, and U.S. Air Force Academy each
operate 4-year programs that provide successful candidates with bachelor's degrees and
commissions as military officers. In addition to completing their academic courses, the
officer candidates who attend the academies each year participate in rigorous military
training activities and mandatory athletic activities. In return for their free education, the
graduates must serve on active duty for 5 years after graduation. Each academy alsoGAO-12-327R Service Academies and Preparatory Schools
4Sen. Rep. No. 112-26, at 119 (2011).
Page 2
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This text can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Text.
United States. Government Accountability Office. Military Education: Additional DOD Guidance Is Needed to Enhance Oversight of the Service Academies and Their Preparatory Schools, text, February 27, 2012; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc301583/m1/2/: accessed April 19, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.