Army Special Forces

In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the Army’s rationale for relocating the 5th Special Forces Group from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, to determine the: (1) impact of relocation on the Group’s deployment capability; (2) relocation cost; and (3) economic impact of relocation on the Fayetteville, North Carolina, area. GAO found that the Army: (1) cited overcrowded conditions at Fort Bragg as the principal reason for relocating the Group; (2) planned to relocate other units to improve its organization; (3) did not expect the relocation to affect the Group’s combat readiness, training, or deployment capabilities; (4) estimated a cost of $16.4 million to relocate the Group and its equipment to Fort Campbell, and about $179.6 million to move and activate other units; (5) indicated that the relocation would not have an adverse economic impact on the Fayetteville area; and (6) estimated that, by 1993, Fort Bragg’s population would increase by about 800 military personnel over its 1986 level.