Use of ‘Borrowed’ Personnel Questioned

The government’s main watchdog agency is calling into question the Army’s use of borrowed personnel in 2013 and 2014, and the subsequent inability to account for them adequately. In a June 15 report, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated that the Army came to rely on the practice, which entails pulling soldiers out of their military occupational specialties (MOSs) for use in other jobs, as a means of coping with tight budgets and personnel cuts. Soldiers were used to serve as lifeguards, ground-maintenance personnel, and gym attendants, among other functions. The GAO report noted that the service did not provide the necessary oversight to ensure that borrowed personnel were accounted for. Nor did local commands determine and record how much their use had cost. The GAO recommended that the Army implement a plan to monitor the use of borrowed personnel.