Non-CONUS combat units have the most difficulty meeting their training requirements for (1) maneuver operations, (2) live ordnance practice, and (3) night and low altitude flying. These include (1) requiring workarounds—adjustments to the training events—that sometimes breed bad habits that could affect performance in combat, (2) requiring military personnel to be away from home more often, and (3) in some instances preventing training from being accomplished. However, the adverse effects of training constraints are often not being captured in readiness reporting. Service and Command Coordination Is Insufficient When Pursuing Training Alternatives

U.S. military commands and services are taking a variety of actions to address constraints, including (1) negotiating with host governments to lessen restrictions on existing training areas; (2) seeking to work with other countries to create additional training opportunities, such as expanding bilateral exercises to include training that can no longer be conducted at home station; and (3) using technology to create, among other things, transportable training systems designed for training outside the usual training areas.
What GAO Found

Rigorous, realistic training is key to military readiness. All U.S. military forces conduct frequent training exercises to hone and maintain their war-fighting skills. Combat units stationed outside the continental United States are able to meet many of their training requirements but face constraints in such areas as (1) maneuver operations, (2) live ordnance practice, and (3) night and low altitude flying. Training constraints cause adverse effects, including (1) requiring workarounds that can breed bad habits affecting combat performance; (2) requiring military personnel to be away from home more often; and (3) preventing training from being accomplished. To address these concerns, military commands and services are negotiating with host governments to lessen restrictions on existing training areas, but such actions are often done at an individual-service level and sometimes create unforeseen problems for other services and for existing training capabilities.