Further, we recommended the Army include information on ammunition  that in a previous year was unclaimed by another service and had been  categorized for disposal. DOD Maintains Information on Conventional Ammunition, but Some Data Are Incomplete and Information on Excess Is Not Always Shared with Other Government Agencies

		Incomplete and Inaccurate Data on Excess, Obsolete, and Unserviceable Ammunition Hampers DOD’s Ability to Precisely Determine Its Estimated Demilitarization Needs

The services maintain information on their conventional ammunition;  however, some inventory records for ammunition in the CAD stockpile  have incorrect or incomplete information on its condition and weight. Consolidated information from the military services on the ammunition in  the CAD stockpile is maintained in the Army’s Logistics Modernization  Program (LMP). In our review  of data in the LMP database from 2012 to February 2015 the number of  records without assigned weight increased from 2,223 (out of 34,511  records) to 2,829 (out of 36,355 records), which shows the problem is  growing. DOD officials stated they are trying to correct  current records with missing or inaccurate data, particularly weight. However, since the items without weight data are not factored into DOD’s  demilitarization determination, DOD is not positioned to optimally  demilitarize the most ammunition possible with the given resources  available. Each of the Services Has Visibility of Serviceable Ammunition in the CAD Stockpile, but Information on Excess Is Not Widely Shared with Other Government Agencies

Officials from all the military services said they have access to LMP and  they have used LMP to search the CAD stockpile for materiel they could  use, but information on DOD excess is not widely shared with other  government agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security,  which also uses ammunition for purposes such as training exercises. According  to officials, DOD does not have a formal process for offering the excess  small arms ammunition and components to other government agencies. Standards for  Internal Control in the Federal Government states that management  should ensure there are adequate means of communicating with, and  obtaining information from, external stakeholders that may have a  significant impact on the agency achieving its goals. Additionally, DOD officials stated  that in fiscal year 2015, it costs on average about $2,000 per ton to  demilitarize conventional ammunition. Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government state that an  entity should have controls to ensure that all transactions are complete  and accurately recorded. Without a systematic means to  communicate information on excess ammunition to other government  agencies, DOD will miss opportunities to reduce the CAD stockpile and  demilitarization costs through transfers. To improve the completeness and accuracy of information on the  weight of items in the CAD stockpile—the key measure used by DOD  to manage the conventional ammunition demilitarization operation— establish a plan to (1) identify and record, to the extent possible, the  missing or inaccurate weight information for existing ammunition  records in the CAD stockpile and (2) ensure that all items transferred  to the CAD stockpile, including for example components removed  from larger weapons and nonstandard ammunition, have the  appropriate weight data. In response to our second recommendation that the Secretary  of the Army develop a systematic means to make information available to  other government agencies on excess ammunition that could be used to  meet their needs, DOD stated that Office of the Under Secretary of  Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics would ensure that the  Secretary of the Army is tasked to develop a systematic means to make  information available to other government agencies on excess  ammunition. Appendix II: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

To assess the extent to which the Department of Defense (DOD) has  adequately maintained and shared information on the quantity, value,  condition, and location of excess, obsolete, and unserviceable  conventional ammunition for each military service, we reviewed DOD’s  inventory data on excess, obsolete, and unserviceable conventional  ammunition held in the conventional ammunition awaiting demilitarization  and disposal (CAD) stockpile as of February 2015 to determine how  complete and accurate the data are.
Why GAO Did This Study

DOD manages conventional ammunition that ranges from small arms cartridges to rockets, mortars, artillery shells, and tactical missiles. When a military service determines such ammunition is beyond its needs, obsolete, or unserviceable, it is offered to the other services and if not taken, transferred to the Army, which manages the CAD stockpile and takes actions to demilitarize and dispose of the ammunition in the stockpile. According to data provided by DOD officials, as of February 2015, the stockpile was about 529,373 tons. DOD estimates that from fiscal year 2016 to fiscal year 2020 it will add an additional 582,789 tons of conventional ammunition to this CAD stockpile.
Section 352 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2015 included a provision that GAO review and report on the management of DOD's CAD stockpile.
This report assesses, among other things, the extent to which DOD has adequately maintained and shared information on excess, obsolete, and unserviceable ammunition for the military services. GAO reviewed applicable guidance and the military service ammunition databases; visited an Army depot that conducts ammunition demilitarization; and interviewed appropriate DOD officials.

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) maintains information on its excess, obsolete, and unserviceable conventional ammunition for the military services and shares this information on a limited basis with other government agencies, but its management of its conventional ammunition awaiting demilitarization and disposal (CAD) stockpile can be strengthened in two areas.
The Army uses its Logistics Modernization Program database to maintain consolidated information on ammunition in the CAD stockpile, but GAO found that records for some items do not include complete data on weight. Specifically, of 36,355 records in the database, 2,829 did not have assigned weights as of February 2015. Internal control standards state that an entity should have controls to ensure that all transactions are complete and accurately recorded. DOD officials stated they are trying to correct current records with missing data; however, the number of records without weight data has increased. For example, as of February 2015, the number of records with missing data had increased by more than 600 since 2012. Since DOD uses weight in determining, among other things, cost estimates for demilitarization projects and what ammunition to demilitarize, missing weight data can negatively impact its efforts to destroy the most ammunition possible with the resources available.
The military services have access to information on the CAD stockpile maintained in the Army's database and can search it for useable ammunition that could fill their requirements, but other government agencies do not and DOD does not have a systematic means for sharing such information. Federal internal control standards state that management should ensure there are adequate means of communicating with, and obtaining information from, external stakeholders. DOD officials told GAO that there have been instances of transfers of ammunition to other government agencies, but these have been done informally and on a limited basis. Without a systematic means for regularly sharing information on useable ammunition beyond DOD's needs, both DOD and other agencies may be missing opportunities to reduce costs related to demilitarization and ammunition procurement.

What GAO Recommends

GAO recommends DOD develop a plan to identify and record missing weight data and develop a systematic means to share information on the stockpile with other government agencies. DOD agreed with GAO's recommendations.