GAO urges DOD to clarify remote base definition and assess workforce cuts

The Government Accountability Office issued two recommendations directing the Department of Defense to revise its definition of "remote and isolated installations" and to evaluate the impact of 2025 civilian workforce reductions on those sites. The GAO report notes that DOD has formally concurred with both recommendations.

GAO found that remote and isolated installations consistently struggle to recruit and retain civilian personnel for critical support services, but the severity varies by location. For example, Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska reported 428 vacant critical-support positions, while Fort Greely and Clear Space Force Station reported no vacancies in the same category.

In 2024, DOD issued guidance for designating installations as remote and isolated. By May 2026, the Army and Navy had compiled lists of such installations in accordance with that guidance, whereas the Air Force has not made a formal designation. GAO noted that the guidance does not provide a clear definition of "remote and isolated," and that other DOD directives use differing definitions, limiting the department's ability to produce a consistent risk picture.

Since January 2025, DOD implemented multiple civilian workforce reductions that have hampered staffing for critical support services at remote sites. The department has not yet assessed how those reductions affected installations where recruiting is already difficult, nor has it collected lessons learned that could inform future staffing strategies.

GAO's two recommendations call on the Secretary of Defense to task the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness with (1) updating the definition of remote and isolated installations in existing guidance and (2) conducting a specific examination of the impact of the 2025 civilian workforce reductions at those locations. DOD's concurrence indicates the agency will address the recommendations, though implementation details remain pending.