However, DOD’s efforts  toward implementing the other five recommendations reflect less  progress, which is likely to hinder the effectiveness of DOD’s efforts to  oversee its programs. DOD Did Not Meet the Statutory Deadline for Implementing the Database, and It Does Not Have a Schedule with Reliable Time Frames for Doing So

DOD has established conceptual plans for acquiring and deploying a  centralized sexual assault incident database. Based on these milestones and the absence of a reliable program  schedule, DOD did not meet its legislative mandate to implement the  database by January 2010, and when it will implement the database is  uncertain. Associated  with this progression, DOD has taken steps to begin employing a number  of key information technology acquisition management disciplines that are  provided for in DOD and related guidance. Coast Guard Has Partially Implemented One of Our Two Recommendations from 2008

The Coast Guard has partially implemented one of our recommendations  from 2008 to further develop its sexual assault prevention and response  program, but it has not addressed the other. Although the  Coast Guard has identified broad program objectives, it has not addressed  our recommendation to develop an oversight framework that provides  comprehensive and specific guidance for operating its programs. As we previously reported, the Coast Guard was not able to fully evaluate  the results achieved by its efforts, and thus we recommended that it  develop an oversight framework that at a minimum includes long-term  goals, objectives, and milestones; performance goals; strategies to be used  to accomplish goals; and criteria for measuring progress. However,  until the Coast Guard establishes a systematic process for the collection,  documentation, and maintenance of these data, it will be challenged in its  ability to efficiently retrieve data and its visibility over sexual assault  incidents will remain limited. For example, Coast Guard officials noted that in  fiscal year 2008, the Coast Guard Investigative Service, in the course of its  investigations, documented 78 reports of sexual assault, while Coast  Guard Headquarters, using the hard copy log of reports from its  coordinators, had documented only 30. Recommendations for Executive Action

We recommend that the Secretary of Defense take the following 10  actions:    To improve the management, strategic planning, and  comprehensiveness of OSD’s oversight of the department’s sexual  assault prevention and response programs, direct the Under Secretary  of Defense for Personnel and Readiness to strengthen OSD’s oversight  framework by  identifying how the results of performance assessments  will be used to guide the development of future program  initiatives,  identifying how OSD’s program resources correlate to its  achievement of strategic program objectives, and  correlating its oversight framework to the program’s two  strategic plans so that program objectives, timelines, and  strategies for achieving objectives are synchronized. To enhance the oversight of the sexual assault prevention and  response program in DOD, direct the Under Secretary of Defense for  Personnel and Readiness to ensure that the development and  implementation of the Defense Sexual Assault Incident Database  includes adherence to the following key system development and  acquisition management processes and controls developing a reliable integrated master schedule that  addresses the nine key practices discussed in this report,  adequately assessing the program’s overlap with and  duplication of related programs through architecture  compliance,  adequately justifying investment in the proposed approach  on the basis of reliable estimates of life cycle costs and  benefits,  effectively developing and managing system requirements,  adequately testing system capabilities, and  effectively managing program risks. The Coast Guard also concurred with our recommendations aimed at  improving the oversight, accountability, and execution of its sexual assault  prevention and response programs, including (1) establishing a systematic  process for collecting, documenting, and maintaining sexual assault  incidence data; (2) establishing quality control processes to ensure that  program information collected is valid and reliable; and (3) establishing  and administering a curriculum for all key program personnel to ensure  that they can provide proper advice to Coast Guard personnel. To determine the extent to which the U.S. Coast Guard has taken steps to  address our previous recommendations regarding policies and programs  to prevent and respond to sexual assault, we identified relevant legislative  requirements and obtained and analyzed the Coast Guard’s policies,  guidance, and procedures for the prevention of and response to sexual  assault incidents.
Why GAO Did This Study

Sexual assault is a crime with negative implications to military readiness and esprit de corps. In response to a congressional request, GAO, in 2008, reviewed Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Coast Guard sexual assault prevention and response programs and recommended a number of improvements. GAO was subsequently asked to evaluate the extent to which (1) DOD has addressed GAO's 2008 recommendations and further developed its programs, (2) DOD has established a sexual assault database, and (3) the Coast Guard has addressed GAO's 2008 recommendations and further developed its programs. To do so, GAO analyzed legislative requirements and program guidance, interviewed officials, and compared database implementation efforts to key information technology best practices.

What GAO Found

DOD has addressed four of GAO's nine recommendations from 2008 regarding the oversight and implementation of its sexual assault prevention and response programs. For example, the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) evaluated department program guidance for joint and deployed environments, and it evaluated factors that may hinder access to health care following a sexual assault. But DOD's efforts to address the other recommendations reflect less progress. For example, GAO recommended that DOD develop an oversight framework, to include long-term goals and milestones, performance goals and strategies, and criteria for measuring progress. However, GAO found that the draft framework lacks key elements needed for comprehensive oversight of DOD's programs, such as criteria for measuring progress and an indication of how it will use the information derived from such measurement to improve its programs. Until OSD incorporates all key elements into its draft oversight framework, it will remain limited in its ability to effectively manage program development to help prevent and respond to sexual assault incidents. DOD acknowledges that more work remains in order to fully develop its oversight framework. DOD has taken steps to begin acquiring a centralized sexual assault database. However, it did not meet a legislative requirement to establish the database by January 2010, and it is unclear when the database will be established because DOD does not yet have a reliable schedule to guide its efforts. Also, key system acquisition best practices associated with successfully acquiring and deploying information technology systems, such as economically justifying the proposed system solution and effectively developing and managing requirements, have largely not been performed. OSD officials said they intend to employ these acquisition best practices. Until this is accomplished the program will be at increased risk of not delivering promised mission capabilities and benefits on time and within budget. While the Coast Guard has partially implemented one of GAO's two recommendations for further developing its sexual assault prevention and response program, it has not implemented the other. In June 2009, the Coast Guard began assessing its program staff's workload, which represents progress in addressing GAO's recommendation to evaluate its processes for staffing key installation-level positions in its program. However, it has not addressed GAO's recommendation to develop an oversight framework. Further, the Coast Guard lacks a systematic process for assembling, documenting, and maintaining sexual assault incident data, and lacks quality control procedures to ensure that the program data being collected are reliable. In fiscal year 2008, for example, different Coast Guard offices documented conflicting numbers of sexual assault reports: the Coast Guard Program Office documented 30, while the Investigative Office documented 78. The Coast Guard had to resolve this significant discrepancy before it could provide its data to DOD. Without a systematic process for tracking its data, the Coast Guard lacks reliable knowledge on the occurrence of sexual assaults.