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GAO-14-820R 1 (2014-09-08)

handle is hein.gao/gaobaaift0001 and id is 1 raw text is: GAO U.S. GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE 441 G St. N.W. Washington, DC 20548 September 8, 2014 Congressional Committees Special Operations Forces: DOD's Report to Congress Generally Addressed the Statutory Requirements but Lacks Detail U.S. special operations forces (SOF) are specially organized, trained, and equipped to conduct operations in hostile, denied, or politically sensitive environments. Since 2001, the Department of Defense (DOD) has deployed SOF to conduct a range of military operations, particularly in Afghanistan and Iraq. To meet an increase in operational demands for SOF, DOD has increased funding for U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) as well as SOF force levels from about 45,700 in fiscal year 2001 (including about 43,000 military personnel and about 2,700 civilians) to about 69,500 in fiscal year 2014 (including about 63,000 military personnel and about 6,500 civilians).1 DOD's strategic guidance indicates that SOF will continue to play a prominent role in support of the defense strategy. For example, the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review report states that the investment in SOF supports DOD's ability to sustain operations against terrorist networks, counter other transnational threats, and build the capacity of partners, among other things.2 DOD has taken steps to adjust some organizational structures and relationships for SOF. For example, DOD has assigned all SOF, including forward-based headquarters and forces, to SOCOM.3 With this new organizational relationship, SOCOM has direct responsibility for manning, training, and equipping all SOF. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014, section 1086,4 directed the Secretary of Defense to submit to the congressional defense committees a review of the SOF organization, capabilities, structure, and oversight. Specifically, the mandate-enacted on December 26, 2013- mandated the Secretary of Defense to provide an analysis and, where 1SOCOM has its own budget authority and responsibilities within DOD's budget. This budget authority, commonly referred to as Major Force Program-1 1, is used to organize, train, and equip forces to conduct special operations missions and to acquire or to modify service common systems to meet special operations-peculiar requirements for which there is no broad conventional force need. 2Department of Defense, Quadrennial Defense Review 2014 (Mar. 4, 2014). 3Forward-based SOF headquarters includes the Theater Special Operations Commands, which are commands that support the geographic combatant commands with logistics, planning, and operational command and control of SOF in their assigned regions. Prior to February 2013, the geographic combatant commands were responsible for the manpower and readiness of the Theater Special Operations Commands. 4pub. L. No. 113-66, section 1086 (2013). GAO-14-820R Special Operations Forces Review Page 1

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