The military EO program applies only to military personnel. During our review, we identified many differences among the services’ complaint procedures. The following are three examples:
Deadlines for filing complaints. Avenues for filing complaints. Complaint documentation. Most often, commands could not document that they had followed up to ensure complainants had not been subjected to reprisal. Some EO specialists who lacked direct access to the commander were dissatisfied with the visibility given the EO program. All the bases conducted a limited number of unit-specific climate assessments, but we found no evidence that the Social Actions Offices followed up to determine whether remedies to identified EO problems had been implemented. EO Training Is Incomplete and Undocumented

Commanders do not receive training in managing the EO program, even though they are responsible for its success. Not All Complaints Are Reported

Although DOD requires the collection of EO complaint data, some EO complaints and incidents are not reported up the chain of command. Among the reasons for these omissions were (1) units did not report complaints to the person or office responsible for gathering complaint data; (2) commands differed in their views about which complaints should be reported and when; and (3) incidents were resolved outside EO channels, such as incidents adjudicated through the military justice system. In its May 1995 report, DEOC found that enhanced data collection and reporting would improve DOD’s efforts to deal with EO complaints systematically. Copies also will be made available to others upon request. We asked the focus groups six basic questions concerning their respective service’s equal opportunity (EO) program and complaints process. However, we noted a prevailing sense that the military was a good EO employer and that although discrimination and harassment occurred, these were not major problems. In many of the focus groups—especially among the lower-ranked enlisted members—fear of reprisal and a lack of faith in the chain of command were cited as reasons they would be reluctant to use the EO complaints process. Scope and Methodology

We reviewed the Department of Defense’s and the services’ policies and procedures governing the EO program, including the complaint process, and interviewed officials responsible for developing EO policies at the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Equal Opportunity and at the services’ headquarters.
Why GAO Did This Study

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the military's equal opportunity (EO) program, focusing on: (1) the services' processes for handling EO complaints; and (2) whether there are opportunities for improving these processes.

What GAO Found

GAO found that: (1) in implementing the military EO program, the four military services have established different complaint processes; (2) among these differences are the deadlines for filing a complaint, the channels available for filing a complaint, and the documentation used to record complaint processing and followup reviews; (3) not all the commands GAO visited were following their service's prescribed complaint procedures; (4) most important, some commands could not document that they had followed up on complaints after they were resolved to determine whether the complainants had experienced reprisal or further discrimination; (5) GAO's review identified a number of areas that offer opportunities for improving the services' EO programs, specifically: (a) some EO specialists were not used effectively because they did not have direct access to the commander, served very large populations, or had too many other duties to perform; (b) some commands made no use or very limited use of climate assessments to evaluate and improve the health of the EO environment; (c) EO training for commanders, who are responsible for managing the EO program, and for servicemembers was incomplete and undocumented; and (d) some EO complaints and incidents were not reported up the chain of command; (6) the Defense Equal Opportunity Council (DEOC), in its May 1995 report, stated that although no single complaint process would be workable for all the services, some common standards should be followed; (7) DEOC also identified a number of opportunities for improving the military EO program, including the need to reduce servicemembers' fear of reprisal for filing a complaint; (8) based on focus group sessions conducted with servicemembers, GAO noted an overall sense that the military was a good EO employer and that although discrimination and harassment occur, these were not major problems; and (9) however, the focus groups also reinforced DEOC's concerns about problems with EO complaint systems.