Secretary of Defense Memo, 14 MAR 2011, Efficiency Initiative Decisions

Last week, the Secretary of Defense issued a Memorandum detailing the recommendations resulting from study groups commissioned in August of 2010, to develop initiatives designed to reduce duplication, overhead and excess, and instill a culture of savings and cost accountability across the Department of Defense.  As a result of these study groups, numerous cost saving measures are planned. 

The majority of the cost savings are related to cutting personnel.  The personnel cuts are usually minimal per unit, so as to not decrease efficiency.  Additional cost savings are projected by the consolidation of redundant processes of operations in several areas; cutting publications; eliminating non-essential, internally generated reports; curtailing travel whose purpose could be accomplished via electronic communications; and reducing discretionary travel to conferences.

A few units were "disestablished."   However, these units did not appear to be decision making units.  Some "missions" were terminated.  The terminated missions involved duplicative efforts and diminished demand, i.e. several missions created in response to 9/11.

Some specific cost saving measures include reducing or limiting military commissary flights; elimination of some routine contracted humanitarian assistance, although disaster relief preparedness has been retained; cutting the Advanced Systems and Concepts Office studies that are not related to weapons of mass destruction; eliminating several outreach functions that are no longer necessary or redundant; and reducing foreign military interaction exercises by using "virtual" exercises every other year.

The date for completion of these cost saving measures is September 30, 2011, unless otherwise noted.  A link to the complete copy of the Memorandum is attached for your review.