	Background

		Overview of OSA Aircraft

According to DOD, there were 287 aircraft in the OSA fleet as of May  2017. Table 1  lists the number of OSA aircraft by DOD owner/operator and type of  usage. Required and Authorized Users

DOD guidance sets clear priorities for the use of its aircraft to support  officials in certain positions within the department. DOD’s tier three and four  travelers are not required to use government aircraft, but are authorized  to use the aircraft for official travel when the demands of their travel  prevent the use of commercial aircraft. DOD’s aircraft are also used to support employees and members of  Congress and White House support missions—a user pool which could  total over 550 users. White House support missions are trips provided by DOD and directed by  the President such as travel for cabinet-level officials, the Vice-President,  and First Lady. Executive Aircraft Supported Thousands of Annual Flights for a Variety of Users and for Select Flights DOD Generally Followed Its Guidance for Approving Use

During calendar years 2014 through 2015, government and military  officials took more than 19,000 flights on OSA executive aircraft, and our  review of a nongeneralizable, random sample of flight packages from  calendar years 2014 and 2015 found that DOD generally followed its  guidance for approving use of these aircraft for these selected flights. Executive Aircraft Use

We analyzed the data for executive flights conducted during calendars  years 2014 and 2015, and found that there were a total of 19,752 flights. During calendar years 2014 and 2015, the executive flights  went to over 1,000 locations, and the ten most visited destinations  accounted for about 40 percent of those flights. Our analysis showed that service secretary controlled  aircraft accounted for 13 percent of the executive flights in 2014, and 15  percent of the executive flights in 2015. DOD Generally Followed Its Approval Guidance for a Select Set of  Executive Flights Reviewed  We analyzed flight request packages from a nongeneralizable, random  sample of 53 executive flights taken during calendar years 2014 through  2015 and, consistent with a report we issued in 2014, we found that  for these select flights DOD generally followed its guidance for approving  executive aircraft use. Although some packages were missing items, we did not find evidence to  suggest the requested flight should have been disapproved. We  discussed any items that were missing with DOD officials and did not find  evidence to suggest the requested flights should have been disapproved. DOD Recently Implemented an Annual OSA Validation Process

In recent years, DOD has implemented a consistent process to validate  the size of its OSA fleet. The services do not generally use the validation process  determinations as a basis for their OSA aircraft procurement and  divestment decisions. The Chairman’s 2016 OSA fleet validation memorandum indicated that  with a fleet of 45 executive aircraft the risk to mission accomplishment  was moderate; and the mission risk for the nonexecutive fleet of 256  aircraft was low. Service officials  told us their decisions to divest or replace OSA aircraft are generally  made based on internal service assessments concerning the age and  maintenance condition of the aircraft, and the need to balance OSA  aircraft requirements against other service priorities. Agency Comments

We are not making recommendations in this report. DOD provided  technical comments on a draft of this report, which we incorporated as  appropriate. We also analyzed a nongeneralizable, random  sample of 53 executive OSA flights and compared the documentation in  the flight request packages to the flight package documentation  requirements listed in DOD’s OSA guidance. To examine the process DOD uses to validate its OSA fleet size and the  extent to which the process results have influenced force structure  decisions, we gathered documentation on DOD’s annual OSA validation  process.
Why GAO Did This Study

OSA missions support the movement of a limited number of high-priority passengers and cargo with time, place, or mission-sensitive requirements. DOD's OSA aircraft are variants of commercial aircraft. OSA aircraft are categorized as either executive (used to transport DOD, congressional, and cabinet officials) or non-executive (used to fulfill wartime or contingency needs). As of May 2017, DOD had 287 OSA aircraft—44 executive and 243 non-executive—about 6 percent of DOD's airlift/cargo/utility aircraft.
House Report 114-537 and Senate Report 114-255 included provisions for GAO to review the use and size of the OSA fleet. This report examines the extent to which DOD (1) used OSA executive aircraft in 2014 and 2015, and if this usage complied with guidance; and (2) has a process to validate its OSA fleet size. GAO reviewed DOD guidance for approving the use of OSA aircraft, analyzed the most current executive aircraft flight data available—calendar years 2014 and 2015—and compared the approval documentation from a sample of those flights to DOD's guidance. GAO also reviewed documentation and interviewed officials to assess DOD's OSA validation process and results.

What GAO Found

In calendar years 2014 and 2015, government officials took thousands of flights on Operational Support Airlift (OSA) executive aircraft, and our review of a nongeneralizable sample of 53 flight packages found that those trips generally followed Department of Defense (DOD) guidance for requesting the use of government aircraft. DOD requires its officials in certain positions to fly on military aircraft, including OSA executive aircraft. It also authorizes, but does not require, officials in other government positions to fly on OSA executive aircraft. We analyzed the use of OSA executive aircraft during 2014 and 2015—the latest years for which data were available—and found that of the 19,752 executive flights conducted, 31 percent supported required users and 69 percent supported other authorized users. The Vice President, the First Lady, and other cabinet-level officials on White House support mission trips accounted for about 12 percent of the flights, and members of congress and congressional employees accounted for about 5 percent of the flights. DOD guidance requires documentation for each flight request including the rank or position of the traveler, itinerary, and in some cases, cost data. While not generalizable beyond these flights, our review of 53 flight request packages found that the packages generally contained most required documentation. Although some packages were missing items, we discussed those items with DOD officials, and we did not find evidence to suggest the requested flight should have been disapproved.
In recent years, DOD has implemented a consistent process to validate the size of its OSA fleet and to have a risk assessment of the fleet's ability to meet requirements all 365 days per year. In 2016, for example, the executive fleet's risk-to-mission accomplishment was assessed as moderate, and the non-executive fleet's risk-to-mission was assessed as low. The services do not generally use the validation process determinations as a basis for OSA aircraft procurement and divestment decisions. According to service officials, those decisions are based on separate, independent evaluations of their force structure needs, which evaluate the age and maintenance conditions of their aircraft, and the need to balance OSA aircraft requirements against other service priorities.

What GAO Recommends

GAO is not making any recommendations in this report. DOD provided technical comments on a draft of this report, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.