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By: FEDweek StaffThe Defense Department needs to do a more thorough job of tracking unexpected absences from duty, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
As a result, the full extent of these absences is unknown. They could be involuntary – involving accidents or foul play, or voluntary – to include desertions. In any case, GAO stated in its Sept. 22 report, these absences can place families in turmoil and have adverse effects on military readiness.
The report also noted that some of the services have yet to set procedures for responding to such absences. Staffing, to include agents who investigate such incidents, is an issue as well.
The government’s top watchdog agency stated that the services reported 157 members as involuntarily absent between 2017 and 2021. The reporting, however, was not always complete or reliable, GAO stated. Moreover, the reporting process was often scattershot and left DoD will little information by which to assess and reduce the numbers of unexpected absences.
GAO recommended:
• Ensurance that the department’s personnel and readiness office provide guidance for collecting “complete and reliable data” on voluntary absences to the services.
• The office establishes a procedure for regularly reporting numbers and trends of voluntary absences to DoD leadership.
• The Navy and Marine Corps establish procedures for commanders to use in determining if sailors’ or Marines’ absences are or are not voluntary.
• The Air Force clearly define what military police should do when responding to voluntary or involuntary absences, with coordination from the Director of Security Forces.
• The Army Criminal Investigative Service Division (CID) determine the number of special agents it needs to conduct related criminal investigations.
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