For example, DOD reported to Congress that, as of  September 2016, the military departments had spent $735 million on  environmental cleanup associated with BRAC 2005 sites, and had $482  million left to spend on BRAC 2005 sites. DOD Components Generally Did Not Measure the Achievement of BRAC 2005 Goals

ASD (EI&E), the military services, and 25 of the 26 military units or  organizations we met with did not measure the achievement of the BRAC  2005 goals—reducing excess infrastructure, transforming the military, and  promoting jointness. As a result,  in March 2013, we recommended that, in the event of any future BRAC  round, DOD identify appropriate measures of effectiveness and develop a  plan to demonstrate the extent to which the department achieved the  results intended from the implementation of the BRAC round. As of October 2017, DOD officials stated  that no action to implement our recommendation is expected. If Congress would like to  increase its oversight for any future BRAC round, requiring DOD to  identify appropriate measures of effectiveness and track achievement of  its goals would provide it with improved visibility over the expected  outcomes. DOD Has Addressed Many but Not All Prior GAO Recommendations on BRAC 2005 and Has Further Opportunities to Improve Communications and Monitoring in Any Future BRAC Round

DOD has implemented 33 of the 65 prior recommendations that we  identified in our work since 2004, and it has the opportunity to address  additional challenges regarding communications and monitoring to  improve any future BRAC round. Specifically, some military organizations  we met with stated that they could not communicate to BRAC decision  makers information outside of the data-collection process, which  ultimately hindered analysis. The officials stated that there was no way to communicate to decision  makers during the data collection process that the facilities were ill- suited for relocating the Human Resources Command and would  require significant renovation costs to host the command’s information  technology infrastructure. The officials said that, because the needed  details on the facility data were not communicated, the relocation  moved forward without full consideration of alternatives for using  better-suited excess space at other locations that would not require  significant costs to renovate. As a result, the Army ultimately  constructed a new headquarters building for the Human Resources  Command at Fort Knox and DOD spent approximately $55 million  more than estimated to complete this action. DOD Officials Cited Challenges with Monitoring Mission-Related Changes during Implementation

DOD officials identified challenges related to monitoring mission-related  changes during the implementation of the BRAC 2005 recommendations,  specifically when unforeseen circumstances developed that affected  units’ ability to carry out their missions following implementation or added  difficulties to fulfilling the intent of the recommendation. Using fiscal year 2010 military construction funding, DOD spent  approximately $27.7 million to create a landing field for use by the  new Marine Corps F-35 training squadron mission at Eglin Air Force  Base. DOD concurred and actions are pending. Congress  can take steps to improve its oversight of any future BRAC round,  specifically by requiring DOD to identify and track appropriate measures  of effectiveness. By instituting improvements to the analysis,  implementation, and disposal phases in any future BRAC round, DOD  could better inform decision making, better ensure that its infrastructure  meets the needs of its force structure, and better position itself to gain  congressional approval for additional rounds of BRAC in the future. DOD objected to our matter for congressional consideration that  Congress should consider, in any future BRAC authorization, a  requirement for DOD to identify appropriate measures of effectiveness  and to track the achievement of its goals. Appendix II: Objectives, Scope, and Methodology

The objectives of our review were to assess the extent that the  Department of Defense (DOD) (1) measured the achievement of goals for  reducing excess infrastructure, transforming the military, and promoting  jointness for the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round and  (2) implemented prior GAO recommendations and addressed any  additional challenges faced in BRAC 2005 to improve performance for  any future BRAC round. Military Bases: Observations on DOD’s 2005 Base Realignment and  Closure Selection Process and Recommendations.
Why GAO Did This Study

The 2005 BRAC round was the costliest and most complex BRAC round ever. In contrast to prior rounds, which focused on the goal of reducing excess infrastructure, DOD's goals for BRAC 2005 also included transforming the military and fostering joint activities.
GAO was asked to review DOD's performance outcomes from BRAC 2005. This report examines the extent to which DOD has (1) measured the achievement of its goals for BRAC 2005 and (2) implemented prior GAO recommendations on BRAC 2005 and addressed any additional challenges to improve performance for any future BRAC round. GAO reviewed relevant documents and guidance; met with a nongeneralizable selection of 26 military organizations and 12 communities involved with BRAC 2005; and interviewed DOD officials.

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) components generally did not measure the achievement of goals—reducing excess infrastructure, transforming the military, and promoting joint activities among the military departments—for the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round. In March 2013, GAO recommended that, for any future BRAC round, DOD identify measures of effectiveness and develop a plan to demonstrate achieved results. DOD did not concur and stated that no action is expected. Without a requirement for DOD to identify measures of effectiveness and track achievement of its goals, Congress will not have full visibility over the expected outcomes or achievements of any future BRAC rounds.
Of the 65 recommendations GAO has made to help DOD address challenges it faced in BRAC 2005, as of October 2017 DOD had implemented 33 of them (with 18 pending DOD action).
DOD has not addressed challenges associated with communication and monitoring mission-related changes. Specifically:
Some military organizations stated that they could not communicate to BRAC decision makers information outside of the data-collection process because DOD did not establish clear and consistent communications. For example, Army officials at Fort Knox, Kentucky, stated that there was no way to communicate that excess facilities were ill-suited for relocating the Human Resources Command and moved forward without full consideration of alternatives for using better-suited excess space at other locations. As a result, DOD spent about $55 million more than estimated to construct a new building at Fort Knox.
DOD implemented BRAC recommendations that affected units' ability to carry out their missions because DOD lacked specific guidance to monitor and report on mission-related changes. For example, DOD spent about $27.7 million on a landing field for a Marine Corps F-35 training squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, even though it had been previously decided to station the F-35 aircraft and personnel at another base.
By addressing its communication and monitoring challenges, DOD could better inform decision making, better ensure that its infrastructure meets the need of its force structure, and better position itself to achieve its goals in any future BRAC round.

What GAO Recommends

Congress should consider requiring DOD to identify and track appropriate measures of effectiveness in any future BRAC round. Also, GAO recommends that in any future BRAC round DOD (1) take steps to establish clear and consistent communications while collecting data and (2) provide specific guidance to the military departments to monitor and report on mission-related changes during implementation. GAO also continues to believe that DOD should fully implement GAO's prior recommendations on BRAC 2005. DOD objected to Congress requiring DOD to identify and track performance measures, but GAO continues to believe this to be an appropriate action for the reasons discussed in the report. Lastly, DOD concurred with the two recommendations.