Special Operations Forces: Summary of Armed Overwatch Reports
Fast Facts
This summary examines U.S. Special Operations' plan to spend over $2 billion on a new type of aircraft through the Armed Overwatch program. DOD says this plane will address threats from violent extremist groups.
Congress has expressed concerns and delayed funding for this program. We previously found Special Operations hadn't completed its justification for buying 75 aircraft. It has since dropped the number to 62 but still hasn't completed the justification.
Also, it hasn't determined how to provide reconnaissance and other capabilities found on current aircraft that will be retired.
Our previous recommendations address these issues and more.
Armed Overwatch Aircraft
Highlights
Why GAO Did This Study
GAO issued two reports on the Department of Defense's (DOD) Armed Overwatch Aircraft program. In our first report we found that U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) was limited in its ability to justify the acquisition of the Armed Overwatch aircraft for three reasons. First, because SOCOM decided on the size of the fleet before conducting required analyses. Second, SOCOM did not assess how changes in the aircraft's capabilities could affect the number needed for operations. And third, that SOCOM has not reevaluated its needs despite changes to operational missions. In our second report, which is classified, our findings highlighted concerns related to risks associated with the capabilities of the Armed Overwatch aircraft, concepts surrounding the types of operations the aircraft will conduct, deployment and operating challenges, and affordability.
What GAO Found
House Report 117-118, accompanying a bill for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022, included a provision that we assess SOCOM's Armed Overwatch program. Our reports address the extent to which the Department of Defense has 1) evaluated SOCOM's analysis to support the number of Armed Overwatch aircraft to acquire and 2) determined the capabilities Armed Overwatch needs to support special operations forces operations and meet mission needs.
Recommendations
We made seven recommendations to DOD that address our findings. DOD concurred with one recommendation and partially concurred with six recommendations. The enclosure summarizes our findings and recommendations from these reports and omits classified information related to specific details of the Armed Overwatch effort.