Pentagon urged to improve workforce planning

The Defense Department must do a better job of planning for the fast-approaching retirement of more than 50 percent of its workforce, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.

While Defense improved its 2007 strategic human capital plan with a 2008 update, the revised strategy only partially addresses requirements of fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2007 authorization laws, the report (GAO-09-235) said.

For example, in the fiscal 2006 law Congress directed the department to develop a plan to shape and improve its civilian workforce by identifying gaps between current employee skills and those needed during the next decade. The plan also was to include a strategy for addressing those gaps, and detailed recruiting and retention goals, the report stated.

But GAO found that Defense's update only partially addressed those mandates. Overall, the plan fell short on all eight requirements in the fiscal 2006 act, according to the report. It fully addressed four of the nine requirements of the fiscal 2007 law, and failed to complete the remaining five, auditors stated.

Further, departmentwide succession planning for senior management positions was inadequate, largely because the office for talent management and succession planning was not established until October 2008, GAO said.

"Officials stated that this new office … did not have and did not plan to have a performance plan that includes implementation goals and time frames, performance measures and activities that are aligned with resources," the report stated. "Without such a plan, DoD and its components may not be able to design and fund the best strategies to address the legislative requirements and meet their workforce needs."

Additionally, Defense's strategic human capital report overlooked the significant effects programs such as the base realignment and closure process on workforce planning, according to GAO.

To fully meet the authorization law requirements, GAO recommended that Defense's program management office develop a performance plan that includes a strategy for assessing skills and conducting gap analyses for mission-critical occupations.

GAO also suggested the executive management office develop a plan that includes implementation goals and time frames, performance measures and a strategy for aligning activities with resources. In addition, the watchdog agency noted that human capital plans should deal with contractor roles and the effect they have on workforce requirements.

"We continue to believe that without strategies that address significant factors like the use of federal civilian personnel and contractors, DoD may not have the right people, in the right place, at the right time, and at a reasonable cost to achieve its mission in the future," GAO said.