GAO: Army Growth Plan Results Unclear

Noting that the Army is meeting its goal of a 7-percent force expansion by 2013 earlier than expected, the Government Accountability Office said the service nevertheless still needs to do a better job of setting realistic retention bonus rates. “While the Army has increased its expenditures for bonuses by almost 75 percent since fiscal year 2005, it has not used available research to set bonuses at dollar amounts that are most cost-effective,” the GAO stated in a May 4 report to Congress. As a result, awarding of bonuses has been scattershot and inconsistent throughout the service, the report stated. In some cases, soldiers in non-priority specialties received them, according to GAO. The report also noted that the Army should evaluate the cost of its recent relaxation of recruitment standards, which has allowed some overweight or under educated persons, as well as some with past criminal backgrounds, to enlist. Meanwhile, the GAO stated, the service still is experiencing a shortage of captains, majors, and lieutenant colonels – a situation that will persist until the service determines how best to offer bonuses to prospective officers.