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Open Recommendations

Special Operations Forces: Additional Oversight Could Help Mitigate High-Risk Training Accidents
GAO-25-106321
Nov 21, 2024
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6 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, performs analyses of negative safety trends when designating SOF high-risk training areas in future updates to its training directive. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, in consultation with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, reevaluates the training assessment program to determine the number of assessments, observations, and inspections of SOF service component commands and the related resources that are needed to achieve the goals of the program. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command, establishes milestones for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command to complete updates to its high-risk training policy that include SOCOM's high-risk training oversight requirements. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command establishes milestones for the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Command to complete updates to its high-risk training policy that include SOCOM's high-risk training oversight requirements. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command establishes milestones for the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command to complete updates to its high-risk training policy that include SOCOM's high-risk training oversight requirements. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of Defense The Secretary of Defense should ensure that the Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command establishes milestones for the U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command to complete updates to its high-risk training policy that include SOCOM's high-risk training oversight requirements. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Military Recruiting: Actions Needed to Address Digital Marketing Challenges
GAO-25-106719
Nov 20, 2024
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8 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service defines a formal process for risk management to identify, analyze, and respond to risks related to Air Force and Space Force marketing efforts, including digital marketing. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Commander of the Navy Recruiting Command clearly identifies in future iterations of the Navy's marketing plan(s) how progress toward achieving strategic goals will be measured. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Commander of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command clearly identifies in future iterations of the Marine Corps' marketing plan how progress toward achieving strategic goals will be measured. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should ensure that the Commander of the Air Force Recruiting Service clearly identifies in future iterations of the Air Force's and Space Force's marketing plans how progress toward achieving strategic goals will be measured. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Commander of the Marine Corps Recruiting Command documents internal processes to ensure that marketing funds continue to be consistent and available. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Chief of the Army Enterprise Marketing Office assesses whether the Army should adopt and document internal processes to improve predictability and consistency of marketing funds. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Military Officer Performance: Actions Needed to Fully Incorporate Performance Evaluation Key Practices
GAO-25-106618
Nov 13, 2024
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20 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should develop a plan for the delivery of training on the Army's performance evaluation system to all officers on an ongoing basis. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Chief of Naval Operations develops a plan for the delivery of training on the Navy's performance evaluation system to all officers on an ongoing basis. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should develop a plan for the delivery of training on the Air Force's performance evaluation system to all officers on an ongoing basis. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure that the Chief of Naval Operations revises the Navy's performance evaluation system policy to ensure that raters explicitly align officer expectations with organizational goals. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Air Force The Secretary of the Air Force should revise the Air Force's performance evaluation system policy or guidance to ensure that raters explicitly align officer expectations with organizational goals. (Recommendation 5)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy should ensure the Commandant of the Marine Corps revises the Marine Corps' performance evaluation system policy to ensure that raters explicitly align officer expectations with organizational goals. (Recommendation 6)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.

Army Watercraft: Actions Needed to Optimize Small but Critical Fleet
GAO-25-106387
Oct 16, 2024
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4 Open Recommendations
Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Deputy Chief of Staff G-3/5/7, in consultation with the Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Commander, U.S. Army Pacific Command, develops a mitigation plan addressing challenges to the watercraft fleet, reducing risks, and bridging and mitigating gaps in Army watercraft capability and capacity, to meet current and near-term mission and campaign plan requirements in the Indo-Pacific theater. (Recommendation 1)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should ensure that Headquarters, Department of the Army G-3/5/7 in consultation with Commander, Indo-Pacific Command, and Commander, U.S. Army Pacific Command, assesses the costs and benefits of potential courses of action to improve the ability of Army watercraft to meet current and near-term mission requirements. (Recommendation 2)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Army Watercraft Governance Board develops and issues a governance framework that reflects GAO's leading practices for effective governance. (Recommendation 3)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
Department of the Army The Secretary of the Army should ensure that the Army Watercraft Governance Board, in conjunction with other Army stakeholders, take actions to develop integrated strategies that identify, analyze, and respond to persistent maintenance challenges, including significant and unanticipated maintenance delays, fully capturing maintenance data within Army enterprise-wide system, and ensuring that maintenance manuals are issued in a timely manner. (Recommendation 4)
Open
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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