GAO urges Navy and Marine Corps to improve tracking of humanitarian and safety transfers

The Government Accountability Office released a report that recommends two data-tracking actions for the Department of Defense. The Navy should develop a process to centrally track officer humanitarian reassignment requests and outcomes, and the Marine Corps should define safety-related relocations and implement a central tracking system. The Department of Defense has formally concurred with both recommendations.

GAO's analysis of fiscal year 2022 through 2025 data shows more than 15,000 service members requested humanitarian reassignments, with the Army and Marine Corps approving at least 95 percent of those requests each year. Navy and Air Force approval rates ranged from 74 to 84 percent and 66 to 83 percent, respectively. Nearly 400 service members requested safety transfers during the same period, and the services approved 87 percent of those requests. Tracking of these moves varies: the Army, Marine Corps, and Air Force centrally record all humanitarian reassignment data; the Navy records enlisted personnel requests in a spreadsheet but does not capture officer requests; and the Marine Corps does not clearly define or track safety-related relocations.

The GAO's two recommendations call for the Navy to incorporate officer humanitarian reassignment data into its existing enlisted-personnel system and for the Marine Corps to establish a definition and central tracking process for safety-related relocations. Both agencies list the recommendations as "Open," and GAO will update the status when actions are confirmed.

The report was mandated by Senate Report 119-39, attached to the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026. GAO examined service policies, available data, and conducted interviews with Office of the Secretary of Defense and service officials. The Air Force indicated it will begin central tracking of safety transfers by September 2026.