DOD Has Yet to Assess the Overall Impact of the JNTC Initiative on Training Programs, but Our Analysis Found Indications of Improvements

The full extent to which the JNTC initiative has improved the ability of the  services and combatant commands to train jointly is not clear because  DOD has not yet assessed the full impact of the JNTC initiative efforts on  joint training or developed a strategy for conducting such an assessment. Without a comprehensive assessment of JNTC’s enhancement  of joint training programs, DOD has no assurance that the money invested  in the JNTC initiative will produce the desired results of providing  combatant commanders with better prepared forces aligned with their  joint operational needs or maximize the benefit for DOD’s investment. Reserve Components Have Potentially Benefited from JNTC, but Joint Forces Command Has Not Fully Embraced the Reserves’ Unique Training Needs

Reserve component members have benefited from JNTC-enhanced  training events, but the unique training needs of the reserve components  have not been fully considered because the Joint Forces Command has not  established an ongoing working relationship with them. In addition, the Training  Transformation Strategic Plan identifies that the reserve components face  several unique training requirements and circumstances that must be  considered at each step of this process, from strategic planning through  implementation. JNTC Nomination Guidance for Accreditation Does Not Emphasize Priorities Identified by the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report

Although the Joint Forces Command has begun its accreditation process  to facilitate the JNTC goals, it has not emphasized nominating training  programs that place a priority on new and emerging missions as stressed  in the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report. Although the  Joint Forces Command has proposed nomination guidance, its draft  guidance still has not emphasized the need to accredit tasks within active  service and combatant command training programs that will improve  proficiency in new and emerging mission areas. However, the Joint Forces Command has not taken steps to ensure that  joint tasks previously accredited will consistently be incorporated in  future service and combatant commander training events. However, according to JNTC officials, these individuals alone  may not be able to ensure that accredited joint training will continue to  occur. However, no  National Guard training programs have currently been considered for  JNTC accreditation. Also, without  incorporating the National Guard into the accreditation process, DOD has  no assurance that the National Guard will experience realistic overseas  and domestic joint operational training environments portrayed by JNTC  enhancements. Recommendations for Executive Action

To further enhance the quality of joint training and to increase the benefits  of the JNTC initiative for the reserve components, we recommend that the  Secretary of Defense take the following five actions:   direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to  fully develop a strategy for the next training transformation assessment  to evaluate the overall impact of the JNTC initiative’s implementation  on joint training, including time frames, outcome-oriented performance  metrics, roles and responsibilities, and outcomes;    direct the Joint Forces Command to establish liaison officers for the  reserve components and include representatives from the reserve  components as active participants in JNTC working groups and  planning sessions;    direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to  establish guidelines for the services and combatant commands to  follow when nominating programs for future accreditation that reflect  the importance of new and emerging missions, as emphasized by  DOD’s 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report;    direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to  establish reaccreditation standards and criteria that will ensure that a  recurring, consistent, realistic joint training environment exists for all  units participating in accredited joint training programs; and    direct the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to  expand the accreditation process to include National Guard training  programs. To determine the extent to which the reserve components are benefiting  from the JNTC initiative, we obtained and analyzed key DOD and JNTC  documentation, including the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s 2006  revised Training Transformation Implementation Plan, the 2006  Quadrennial Defense Review Report, and the JNTC strategic and  implementation plans, to identify program guidance on the inclusion of the  reserve components in training transformation initiatives and assess the  level of coordination established between the JNTC initiative and the  reserve components.
Why GAO Did This Study

The Department of Defense (DOD) established its Training Transformation Program to ensure combatant commanders that forces deploying to their theaters have had experience operating jointly. The centerpiece of this effort is the Joint National Training Capability (JNTC) initiative, which accounts for 84 percent of the $2 billion the department plans to invest by 2011 to provide a persistent global network that will increase the level of joint training. GAO assessed the extent to which (1) JNTC has improved the ability of the services and combatant commands to train jointly, (2) the reserve components are benefiting from the JNTC initiative, and (3) the Joint Forces Command has developed an accreditation process to facilitate program goals. To address these objectives, GAO obtained and analyzed key DOD and JNTC documents. GAO also reviewed and analyzed 5 of 16 events selected in 2005 as JNTC training events, and observed 2 of those events firsthand.

What GAO Found

The extent to which the JNTC initiative is improving joint training overall is unclear because DOD has not yet assessed the program's results; however, GAO's review of five JNTC-enhanced training events found indications of some joint training improvements. Prior GAO work and the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report have stressed the importance of performance metrics to gauge program success. While DOD's initial training transformation assessment set a basic framework for measuring future program performance, DOD has not developed a strategy to evaluate the overall impact of the JNTC initiative that includes metrics, time frames, and processes for gathering data. Without such a plan, DOD will not know whether the money invested in the initiative will produce desired results or maximize the benefit for the investment. Reserve units have participated in JNTC training events, but the unique training needs of the reserve components have not been fully considered because Joint Forces Command has not established an ongoing working relationship with them. The Training Transformation Strategic Plan recognizes that the reserve components face unique training requirements and circumstances that must be considered. However, the command has not established a liaison position for any of the reserve components and has not included the reserve components in working groups and planning sessions, as it has done with the active service components and the combatant commands. Until the command incorporates the reserves more fully into the JNTC initiative, the reserve components will continue to have limited ability to enhance their joint training skills. The Joint Forces Command has begun to develop an accreditation process to facilitate the JNTC initiative's goals, but it has not emphasized new and emerging missions, taken steps to ensure that accredited joint tasks will continue in future training rotations, or incorporated the National Guard. The 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review Report declares that training transformation should emphasize new and emerging mission areas, such as irregular warfare and combating weapons of mass destruction. The Joint Forces Command has allowed services and combatant commands to nominate existing training programs to be accredited, but these programs may not reflect the priorities established in the Quadrennial Defense Review Report because nomination guidance does not emphasize the need to accredit programs that will improve proficiency in new and emerging mission areas. Further, no training programs specific to the National Guard are currently being considered for accreditation. Until the department establishes nomination guidance and reaccreditation standards and includes the National Guard in the accreditation process, JNTC events may not reflect DOD's training priorities, the services may not continually incorporate JNTC enhancements into their training exercises, and the National Guard will continue to have limited ability to enhance its joint training skills.