Summary: Volume 1 of this report addresses the effect of service staffing policies and practices on the qualifications of defense manpower and personnel managers; both military officers and civilians. Needed improvements in defense management of the manpower and personnel functions have been pointed out in many past GAO reports. In addition, recent passage of the Civil Service Reform Act delegates more personnel management responsibility to the Department. Volume 2 of the report consists of appendixes dealing with: (1) the objectives and results of a questionnaire on manpower development; (2) perceptions of training value; (3) professional activities; and (4) special analyses of organizational effectiveness and training strengths and weaknessess.
Varying service practices in many cases preclude the development of manpower and personnel management expertise, while, at the same time, those managers having such qualifications are not always rewarded for them by their organizations. Department of Defense (DOD) manpower and personnel organizations should be staffed with knowledgeable and experienced officers who are allowed to stay in one assignment for an appropriate time. When career management systems are successful, both the organization and the individual benefit.
