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Defense Infrastructure: Observations on Aviation Training Consolidation and Expansion Plans

NSIAD-99-143 Published: Jul 12, 1999. Publicly Released: Jul 12, 1999.
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Highlights

Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO provided information on the Department of Defense's (DOD) efforts to reduce the infrastructure that supports initial pilot training, focusing on: (1) DOD's prior efforts to reduce aircraft training infrastructure; (2) plans for expanding pilot training capacity; and (3) the likelihood of further consolidations.

Recommendations

Recommendations for Executive Action

Agency Affected Recommendation Status
Department of Defense Should Congress authorize additional BRAC rounds, barriers to further aviation training consolidation should be examined; should they be found too difficult to overcome, the Secretary of Defense should require the services to consider other opportunities for optimizing efficiencies at bases retained for aviation training.
Closed – Implemented
DOD has concurred with, and has implemented the recommendation. In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2002, Congress authorized a round of defense base realignments and closures beginning in 2005. DOD has begun its work for that round and DOD officials have told GAO that aviation training is one of many functional areas that is being examined on a cross-service basis for potential consolidation or increased efficiencies. Any DOD-proposed recommendations regarding aviation training will not be known until May 2005, when DOD submits its proposed realignment and closure recommendations to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

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Topics

Aircraft pilotsBase closuresFlight trainingHelicopter pilot trainingInteragency relationsMilitary aircraftMilitary aviationMilitary downsizingMilitary personnelU.S. Air Force