A new report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office has found that some organizations within the U.S. Department of Defense overlap and could benefit from consolidation.
In a study of more than 440 organizations within the DOD that conduct cybersecurity operations, the GAO found that some of the organizations may have support units that help them in their mission. Those supporting units may be performing similar services as other units within the department. The GAO identified 70 organizations and about 3,400 personnel that provide support to cyberspace operations including the Office of the Secretary of Defense, military department and service headquarters, among other organizations.
The report said some of the functions of these organizations may overlap, including training courses the military services provide to the organizations conducting cyberspace operations and the administration of DOD’s 23 cybersecurity service providers that conduct cybersecurity for DOD organizations.
“Although some overlap can be intentional and appropriate, unnecessary overlap can lead to organizations paying for the same service or product twice or more,” the report said. “As DOD considers the future organization and composition of its cyberspace operations forces, it will be important to take steps to reduce cost and inefficiencies while maintaining mission effectiveness.”
The GAO recommended that the DOD assess whether similar cyberspace training courses provided by the services can be consolidated and if there are opportunities to increase mission effectiveness and cost savings by consolidating DOD cybersecurity service providers.
The DOD concurred with both recommendations and has said it will update the GAO when action has been taken.