Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO examined the adequacy of current officer separation policies to achieve a 6-percent reduction in the number of active duty officers by the close of fiscal year (FY) 1989.
GAO found that: (1) the services have adequate discretionary authority to involuntarily separate officers with 1 to 11 years of service; (2) current legislation and policies limit the services' authority to separate officers beyond the llth year; (3) officers with 18 years of service are allowed to continue until retirement eligibility at 20 years; (4) there are significant overstrengths in the number of officers with 16 to 20 years of service, due to the services' desire to retain high-quality, combat-experienced officers; and (5) it will be difficult to execute the 6-percent reduction without impairing combat capability, since current constraints will result in disproportionate cuts among company-grade officers. GAO also found that the Department of Defense (DOD) and the services are considering: (1) separating majors and Navy lieutenant commanders who were twice passed over for promotion and awarding those officers separation pay in lieu of full retirement benefits; (2) seeking legislation which would permit reductions in force (RIF) among officers who are currently RIF-exempt; (3) forcing officers to retire as they become eligible; (4) lifting time-in-grade requirements to promote voluntary early retirement; and (5) pursuing the repeal of the FY 1988 and FY 1989 reductions while implementing the 1-percent cut required in FY 1987.
