TRANSCOM Efforts to Identify, Prioritize, and Assess Critical Transportation Assets Have Been Inconsistent with Guidance

According to ASD(HD&ASA) officials, TRANSCOM’s methodology for  identifying, prioritizing, and assessing its critical transportation assets is  inconsistent with the intent of DOD’s DCIP guidance and with the  approach adopted by some of the other combatant commands and military  services. TRANSCOM officials stated in May 2008 that they now plan to  leverage the draft DOD Critical Asset Identification Process manual to  reevaluate its currently identified critical transportation assets; however, a  timeline to complete this reevaluation has not yet been established. Moreover, its  memorandum of understanding with the Joint Staff to participate as  transportation subject matter experts on Joint Staff DCIP vulnerability  assessments is still in draft. Though contrary to DCIP guidance, TRANSCOM has been  using its vulnerability assessments to identify specific critical assets rather  than using the process outlined in DCIP guidance to identify specific  critical assets. Until this reevaluation is completed, ASD(HD&ASA)’s ability  to formulate a comprehensive Defense Critical Asset list that includes  transportation assets and effectively targets spending for risk reduction  efforts will be impeded. Most Installations Took Some Steps to Assure the Availability of Critical Transportation and Public Works Assets but Were Unaware of Asset Criticality and Lacked a DCIP Focus

Although DOD established DCIP to help assure the availability of mission- critical infrastructure—including transportation assets—installation  personnel were often unfamiliar with DCIP and unaware of the critical  role specific transportation assets play in TRANSCOM’s missions. However, these  coordination efforts have been performed independent of DCIP and,  therefore, focus on protecting people and not on assuring the availability  of mission-critical transportation assets. Critical Transportation Asset Assurance Has Received Some Funding through DCIP and Has Benefited from Other Sources of Funding

DOD has allocated approximately $283.3 million for critical asset  assurance through DCIP from fiscal years 2004 to 2008. In addition to these funds, critical  transportation assets also have benefited indirectly from other DOD  programs, such as the Antiterrorism Program, and from funding from  foreign governments in countries where the United States maintains a  military presence. Conclusions

Until now, TRANSCOM’s practice of designating entire air bases, seaports,  and commercial airports as critical transportation assets has been  inconsistent with DCIP guidance and the approach adopted by some of the  other combatant commands and military services to identify specific  mission-critical assets. While TRANSCOM  officials have stated that they will discontinue the practice of using  Transportation Infrastructure Vulnerability Assessments to identify  specific critical transportation assets on the installations, they were not  able to provide ASD(HD&ASA) or us with any documentation to confirm  this decision officially. DOD stated that,  consequently, TRANSCOM does not require additional ASD(HD&ASA)  direction to do so. Appendix I: Scope and Methodology

To conduct our review of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) efforts to  assure the availability of critical assets in the Transportation Defense  Sector, we obtained relevant documentation and interviewed officials  from the following DOD organizations:    Office of the Secretary of Defense    Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer    Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and  Americas’ Security Affairs (ASD)
Joint Staff, Directorate for Operations, Antiterrorism and Homeland    Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Combat Support Assessments    Department of the Army, Asymmetric Warfare Office, Critical    Office of the Chief Information Officer    Mission Assurance Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center,  Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, Virginia    Department of the Air Force, Air, Space and Information  Operations, Plans, and Requirements, Homeland Defense Division    Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Security Division, Critical    Headquarters, U.S. Central Command, Critical Infrastructure  Program Office, MacDill Air Force Base, Florida    Headquarters, U.S. European Command, Critical Infrastructure  Protection Program Office, Patch Barracks, Germany    Headquarters, U.S. Pacific Command, Antiterrorism and Critical  Infrastructure Division, Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii    U.S. To determine the extent to which DOD installation personnel have taken  actions to help assure the availability of critical transportation assets, both  within and independent of DCIP, we reviewed DOD guidance on risk  management and other complementary programs.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Department of Defense (DOD) established the Defense Critical Infrastructure Program (DCIP) to assure the availability of mission-critical infrastructure, including surface, sea, and air transportation assets to carry out its missions. GAO was asked to evaluate (1) the extent to which the U.S. Transportation Command (TRANSCOM) has identified, prioritized, and assessed critical transportation assets; (2) the extent to which DOD installation personnel have taken actions to help assure the availability of critical transportation assets, both within and independent of DCIP; and (3) how DOD is funding critical transportation asset assurance. GAO examined a nonprojectable sample of 22 critical transportation assets, reviewed relevant DOD guidance and documents, and interviewed cognizant officials.

What GAO Found

TRANSCOM has taken some actions to identify, prioritize, and assess its critical transportation assets but, according to officials from the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense and Americas' Security Affairs (ASD[HD&ASA]), its methodology for doing so, until recently, has been inconsistent with the intent of DOD's various DCIP guidance and with the approach adopted by some of the other combatant commands and military services. TRANSCOM considers entire installations--military air bases, seaports, and commercial airports--as critical assets, rather than identifying assets with greater specificity, such as individual runways, navigation aids, and fuel storage facilities. This methodology diminishes the reliability of the critical transportation asset list, a condition that impedes DOD's ability to prioritize its critical assets departmentwide and effectively target spending on risk-reduction efforts. Further, TRANSCOM was using its vulnerability assessments to identify specific critical transportation assets on the installations. This practice conflicts with DOD's DCIP guidance not to use vulnerability assessments to identify critical assets. Though TRANSCOM officials stated that they now plan to discontinue this practice, they were unable to provide ASD(HD&ASA) or GAO with any documentation to confirm that this decision had occurred officially. Further, TRANSCOM's memorandum of understanding with the Joint Staff to participate as transportation subject matter experts on the Joint Staff's vulnerability assessments with a DCIP module is still in draft. In May 2008, TRANSCOM officials told GAO that they now plan to use the draft DCIP critical asset identification process to reevaluate its 300 identified critical transportation assets; however, a timeline to complete this has not yet been determined. DOD installation personnel at the 22 sites GAO visited have taken actions to help assure the availability of critical transportation assets; however, these actions have routinely occurred independent of DCIP. Consequently, they do not consider the full spectrum of threats and hazards and they tend to focus on preventing mass personnel casualties instead of critical asset assurance. DCIP's impact at the installations where the assets are located was negligible because of the lack of service-specific guidance. This gap in guidance hinders installation personnel's ability to make informed risk management decisions based on asset criticality. Coordination efforts between installation personnel and non-DOD owners of critical transportation assets and supporting public works infrastructure were substantial, but have been focused on the protection of people and not on asset assurance. DOD has allocated approximately $283 million for DCIP from fiscal years 2004 to 2008, including $8.6 million to TRANSCOM for its combatant command and defense sector responsibilities. Critical infrastructure assurance efforts also have been funded through other DOD complementary programs, such as the Antiterrorism Program, and through foreign government contributions. Although existing DCIP funding does not include funding for remediating asset vulnerabilities, remediation has been funded from these other sources.