The Defense Travel System: Boon or Boondoggle?

Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

Thursday, September 29, 2005
10:00 AM

[view archive webcast]

This Subcommittee hearing on the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Defense Travel System (DTS) is part of its continuing investigation of DOD’s travel policies and practices. The DTS was intended to be a seamless integrated computer-based travel system that would facilitate travel for DOD employees and lead to increased efficiency and substantial cost savings. However, reports by the DOD Inspector General, the DOD Program Analysis and Evaluation Division, the Government Accountability Office, The Corporate Solutions Group and Citizens Against Government Waste have questioned whether DTS is effective and provides a cost benefit to DOD. These reports indicate that DTS has cost more than was anticipated, has not been fully deployed, does not appear to be widely used, does not list all available airfares and may end up costing more than it has saved. The questions raised by these reports remain largely unanswered by DOD. The hearing will explore whether DTS can deliver on the increased efficiency and cost savings that were anticipated when the program was established.

Witnesses

Panel 1

• The Honorable Charles Grassley (R-IA) [view testimony]

Panel 2

• Mr. Thomas Schatz [view testimony]
  President
  Citizens Against Government Waste
• Mr. Robert Langsfeld [view testimony]
  Partner
  The Corporate Solutions Group

Panel 3

• MR. THOMAS F. GIMBLE [view testimony]
  Acting Inspector General
  U.S. Department of Defense
• Dr. Scott A. Comes [view testimony]
  Director, Strategic and Information Programs Division, Program Analysis and Evaluation
  U. S. Department of Defense
• Mr. McCoy Williams [view testimony]
  Director, Financial Management and Assurance Team
  U.S. Government Accountability Office
• Mr. Zack Gaddy [view testimony]
  Director, Defense Finance and Accounting Service
  U.S. Department of Defense