Military Installations: Remote and Isolated Locations Face Challenges Delivering Critical Support Services

Filed 4h ago · Via GAO · The Buffoon Desk

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GAO examined nine remote and isolated military installations and found the Department of Defense still lacks a consistent definition of what makes a base 'remote and isolated,' despite 2024 guidance meant to establish one. Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska had 428 vacant positions while nearby Fort Greely and Clear Space Force Station had none, illustrating how unevenly the problem lands even within a single state. The Army and Navy have compiled lists under the new guidance; the Air Force has simply declined to make a formal designation.

DOD's 2025 civilian workforce reductions made it harder to staff critical support positions, such as health care and housing, at these installations, but the department has not assessed the impact of those cuts on the bases most dependent on them. GAO is recommending DOD define its terms clearly and study the lessons from the workforce cuts; DOD agreed to both.

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✒ FROM THE EDITORIAL DESK

An agency that runs bases in Alaska and the desert alike can't settle on what 'remote' means, then goes and shrinks the workforce at those very places without checking what broke. That's a bit like trimming the crew on a ferry before finding out which route is the roughest one. DOD said it agrees with the recommendations, which is easy to say and cheap until the next vacancy report comes due.

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