	DOD Has Established 10 Cross-Functional Teams That Are in Various Stages of Implementation

DOD has established 10 cross-functional teams that OCMO officials  consider responsive to section 911, and these teams are in various  stages of implementation. The Secretary of Defense established a cross- functional team to manage the transfer of background investigations for  DOD personnel security clearances from the Office of Personnel  Management to DOD. This team is required to report directly to the  Secretary. DOD Is in the Early Stages of Establishing a Cross-Functional Team to Manage the Transfer of Background Investigations to DOD

In August 2017, the Secretary of Defense issued a memorandum  authorizing its first cross-functional team in response to section 911 to  address challenges with personnel vetting and background investigation  programs. DOD Has Established 9 Cross-Functional Teams to Improve DOD’s Business Operations

The Deputy Secretary of Defense has established 9 additional cross- functional teams since October 2017 to implement reform initiatives  intended to improve the quality and productivity of the department’s  business operations, including moving toward more use of enterprise  services. Section 911 requires DOD to assign senior qualified and experienced  individuals to lead the teams, and the Deputy Secretary of Defense  generally appointed senior DOD officials as leaders. As of May 2018, the size of the teams ranged from 5 to 12  members; OCMO officials stated that the size of the teams can vary  based on the knowledge and expertise the team needs to implement its  initiatives. OCMO officials told us that they have not completed the strategy  because they want to align it with the National Defense Strategy, which  was issued in January 2018, and the National Defense Business  Operations Plan, which was issued in May 2018. Issuing the  organizational strategy—in accordance with section 911 and our prior  recommendation—will better position DOD to advance a collaborative  culture. DOD Has Not Implemented Training or Issued Guidance for Its Cross- Functional Teams or Provided Training to Presidential Appointees

DOD has not fulfilled three related requirements of section 911 to guide  the implementation of its cross-functional teams, namely to (1) provide  training to cross-functional team members and their supervisors, (2) issue  guidance on cross-functional teams, and (3) provide training to  presidential appointees. OCMO officials stated that they plan to send the  guidance and training curricula to the Secretary of Defense for review and  approval after the organizational strategy is issued. OCMO officials stated that after the Secretary of Defense reviews and  approves the training curriculum, which will occur after the organizational  strategy is issued, they will provide training to the members of the cross- functional team on personnel vetting for background investigations and to  the 9 teams implementing reform initiatives. OCMO has also drafted guidance on cross-functional teams, but DOD  has not issued the guidance and did not meet the statutorily-required date  of September 30, 2017. Agency Comments

We are not making recommendations in this report. We provided a draft  of this report to DOD for review and comment. DOD concurred with our  report. Appendix I: Prior GAO Reports on the Department of Defense’s Implementation of Section 911 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017

Section 911 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal  Year 2017 included a provision for us—every 6 months after the date of  enactment on December 23, 2016, through December 31, 2019—to  submit to the defense committees a report setting forth a comprehensive  assessment of the actions that DOD has taken pursuant to section 911  during each 6-month period and cumulatively since the NDAA’s  enactment. Table 2 identifies the two prior GAO reports on DOD’s  implementation of section 911 and the status of the four  recommendations from our February 2018 report.
Why GAO Did This Study

DOD continues to confront organizational challenges that hinder collaboration. To address these challenges, section 911 of the NDAA for FY 2017 directed the Secretary of Defense to issue an organizational strategy that identifies critical objectives that span multiple functional boundaries and would benefit from the use of cross-functional teams. Additionally, DOD is to establish cross-functional teams to support this strategy, issue guidance on these teams, and provide training to team members and civilian leaders in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
The NDAA also included a provision for GAO to periodically assess DOD's actions in response to section 911. This is GAO's third report on the implementation of section 911. It assesses the status of DOD's efforts to (1) establish cross-functional teams, (2) issue an organizational strategy, and (3) issue guidance on cross-functional teams and provide training to team members and Office of the Secretary of Defense leaders.
GAO reviewed documentation on DOD's implementation of its cross-functional teams and DOD's draft organizational strategy, draft guidance on establishing cross-functional teams, and draft training curricula. GAO also interviewed DOD officials on efforts to implement section 911.
GAO is not making new recommendations in this report. DOD concurred and is taking actions to address GAO's previous recommendations on DOD's implementation of section 911. DOD also concurred with the findings in a draft of this report.

What GAO Found

The Department of Defense (DOD) has implemented some statutory requirements in section 911 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017, enacted in December 2016, to address organizational challenges. However, senior leadership has not implemented several requirements intended to support cross-functional teams and promote department-wide collaboration (see table).
DOD has established 10 cross-functional teams, which are in various stages of implementation. Specifically, DOD is in the early stages of establishing one cross-functional team to address the backlog of the department's personnel security clearance background investigations and has assigned an interim leader and seven members to this team. In addition, DOD established 9 cross-functional teams to implement reform initiatives intended to improve the efficiency of the department's business operations. DOD generally appointed senior department officials to lead these teams, and the size of the teams, as of May 2018, ranged from 5 to 12 members.
DOD has drafted, but not issued, an organizational strategy. DOD officials stated that they have not completed the strategy because they want to align it with two department-wide strategy documents—the National Defense Strategy, which was issued in January 2018, and the National Defense Business Operations Plan, which was issued in May 2018.
DOD also has not fulfilled three statutory requirements related to guidance and training for cross-functional teams and civilian leaders in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Specifically, DOD has not (1) provided training to cross-functional team members, (2) issued guidance on cross-functional teams, or (3) provided training to presidential appointees in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. DOD officials stated that they plan to send the guidance and training curricula to the Secretary of Defense for review and approval after DOD issues the organizational strategy. Fully implementing these requirements and GAO's prior recommendations related to the organizational strategy, guidance, and training, will better position DOD to effectively implement its cross-functional teams and advance a collaborative culture as required by the NDAA.