[House Hearing, 112 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY:
AN UPDATE ON REFORM AND PROGRESS
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS
of the
COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
OCTOBER 6, 2011
__________
Serial No. 112-30
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs
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COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS
JEFF MILLER, Florida, Chairman
CLIFF STEARNS, Florida BOB FILNER, California, Ranking
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado CORRINE BROWN, Florida
GUS M. BILIRAKIS, Florida SILVESTRE REYES, Texas
DAVID P. ROE, Tennessee MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
MARLIN A. STUTZMAN, Indiana LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California
BILL FLORES, Texas BRUCE L. BRALEY, Iowa
BILL JOHNSON, Ohio JERRY McNERNEY, California
JEFF DENHAM, California JOE DONNELLY, Indiana
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
DAN BENISHEK, Michigan JOHN BARROW, Georgia
ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York RUSS CARNAHAN, Missouri
TIM HUELSKAMP, Kansas
MARK E. AMODEI, Nevada
ROBERT L. TURNER, New York
Helen W. Tolar, Staff Director and Chief Counsel
______
SUBCOMMITTEE ON DISABILITY ASSISTANCE AND MEMORIAL AFFAIRS
JON RUNYAN, New Jersey, Chairman
DOUG LAMBORN, Colorado JERRY McNERNEY, California,
ANN MARIE BUERKLE, New York Ranking
MARLIN A. STUTZMAN, Indiana JOHN BARROW, Georgia
BILL FLORES, Texas MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine
TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota
Pursuant to clause 2(e)(4) of Rule XI of the Rules of the House, public
hearing records of the Committee on Veterans' Affairs are also
published in electronic form. The printed hearing record remains the
official version. Because electronic submissions are used to prepare
both printed and electronic versions of the hearing record, the process
of converting between various electronic formats may introduce
unintentional errors or omissions. Such occurrences are inherent in the
current publication process and should diminish as the process is
further refined.
C O N T E N T S
__________
October 6, 2011
Page
Arlington National Cemetery: An Update on Reform and Progress.... 1
OPENING STATEMENTS
Chairman Jon Runyan.............................................. 1
Prepared statement of Chairman Runyan........................ 22
Hon. Jerry McNerney, Ranking Democratic Member................... 2
Prepared statement of Congressman McNerney................... 22
______
WITNESSES
U.S. Department of Defense:
Major General William H. McCoy, USA, Acting Inspector General,
Department of the Army Inspector General Agency.............. 3
Prepared statement of General McCoy........................ 23
Kathryn A. Condon, Executive Director, National Cemeteries
Program, Office of the Secretary of the Army, Department of
the Army..................................................... 13
Prepared statement of Ms. Condon........................... 30
______
SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD
American Legion, Ian de Planque, Deputy Director, National
Legislative Commission, statement.............................. 33
Reserve Officers Association of the United States, and Reserve
Enlisted Association of the United States, joint statement..... 34
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY: AN UPDATE ON REFORM AND PROGRESS
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011
U.S. House of Representatives,
Committee on Veterans' Affairs,
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance
and Memorial Affairs,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:50 a.m., in
Room 334, Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Jon Runyan
[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding.
Present: Representatives Runyan, Lamborn, Stutzman,
McNerney, Barrow, and Walz.
OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN RUNYAN
Mr. Runyan. Well, good afternoon and welcome. This
oversight hearing of the Subcommittee on Disability Assistance
and Memorial Affairs will now come to order.
I would first like to thank Major General McCoy and thank
him for his service, as I have been notified that you will be
retiring in November after 37 years of service to this great
country. So thank you for your service. And also, Ms. Condon
and Mr. Hallinan, for lending us their valuable time to have
this discussion about the progress and moving forward at
Arlington.
A couple months ago, Ms. Condon and Mr. Hallinan testified
before this Subcommittee on the progress they have made after
taking over the administration of Arlington following the
deplorable report that the Army Inspector General (IG) gave
last year. They are here today to continue the discussion of
the progress that has been made at Arlington and the work that
continues to be done there.
There are many veterans' cemeteries across this great land.
Each of these sites is very hallowed ground. Every grave marker
honors the memory of our Nation's heroes who have been laid to
rest. Yet, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) has long been a
national symbol of these sacred memorials while remaining
unique and special in the minds of all American citizens.
As I mentioned a few months ago at our previous hearings on
Arlington, it is clear that 1 year would not be enough time to
correct the many problems at Arlington National Cemetery and to
fix every issue brought by the years of neglect and
mismanagement. I know we all share this sense of urgency in
continuing to address the issues at Arlington and can agree
that tremendous strides have been accomplished by the new team.
Ms. Condon and Mr. Hallinan, as the Chair of this
Subcommittee, I want to personally commend you for your efforts
in bringing about these much-needed changes. Today my focus,
and the focus of this hearing, is on the progress moving
forward with the strong foundation laid by this new
administration at Arlington National Cemetery.
In particular, I should note that this foundation includes
the most recent Army IG's report, which found substantial
corrections from the past deficiencies identified in the
initial report that brought many of these challenges to light.
In short, due to your diligence, hard work, and excellent
management, the problems which plagued Arlington National
Cemetery just 1 year ago have been addressed and the majority
have been eliminated.
Moving forward, I hope to learn how the progress will be
sustained and your plans to strengthen the improvements already
made. In particular, based on the IG's report's key
recommendations, I look forward to hearing your thoughts on
creation of a multiservice policy for Arlington, long-term
command planning and oversight of the Army national cemeteries,
and interment wait times and the Cemetery life-span in reaching
its full capacity.
Again, I would like to thank all of you for being here
today, and thank you for your commitment to this great Cemetery
for our true American heroes.
Mr. Runyan. And with that, I would like to call on the
Ranking Member for any opening statement he would have. Mr.
McNerney.
[The prepared statement of Chairman Runyan appears on p.
22.]
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. JERRY MCNERNEY
Mr. McNerney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to
thank you for holding today's hearing, ``An Update on Reform
and Progress at Arlington National Cemetery.'' This hearing
follows up on a June 23, 2011, Subcommittee hearing on this
issue where numerous concerns were raised and discussed--
particularly in regards to an archaic, paper-based
recordkeeping system, inappropriate contracting and management,
and mistaken identities of grave sites at Arlington National
Cemetery.
I think we all agree that Arlington National Cemetery is an
unparalleled national treasure that serves a very unique
mission. As the preferred burial site for many of America's
veterans, dignitaries including U.S. Presidents, Supreme Court
Justices, and many of those who died on the attack of September
11, 2001, these hallowed grounds should be maintained and
operated at the highest levels of excellence.
Today we will be examining the recently issued report from
the Army Inspector General, which includes 31 observations and
53 recommendations. On September 18, 2011, the Secretary of the
Army, as directed by Public Law 111-339, a law which outlines
the required reporting regarding Arlington National Cemetery,
issued his assessment to Congress of the U.S. Department of
Defense (DoD) Inspector General's recommendations and
observations. I am glad that we will be able to evaluate the
findings in the Secretary's report.
More importantly, I am pleased that both reports indicate
that the mismanagement and dysfunction found during the Army's
original investigation in the summer of 2010 no longer exist.
However, I know that problems of this magnitude that
plagued Arlington in the past will not just disappear
overnight. As such, I look forward to hearing more from our
witnesses today about the work that remains to ensure the
proper operations, management, and maintenance of this revered
site. I also want to delve further into the current reforms
underway to make sure that we stay on the right track of
increased efficiency and efficacy.
I would like to thank our witnesses for reappearing before
us today. I commend the demonstrable dedication that Ms.
Kathryn Condon, the Executive Director of the Army National
Cemeteries Program, along with Mr. Pat Hallinan, the
Superintendent formerly with the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs' (VA's) National Cemetery Administration (NCA) have
shown.
Thank you both for your hard work and leadership thus far.
As you reorganize, retrain, and retool, I hope that you will
continue in this vein. Our veterans and their loved ones
deserve no less.
I yield back.
[The prepared statement of Congressman McNerney appears on
p. 22.]
Mr. Runyan. Thank you, Mr. McNerney. And with that, I would
like to welcome our first witness, Major General McCoy, the
Army Inspector General. General McCoy, your complete written
statement will be entered into the hearing record, and with
that, I now recognize you for 5 minutes for your statement.
STATEMENT OF MAJOR GENERAL WILLIAM H. MCCOY, USA, ACTING
INSPECTOR GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY INSPECTOR GENERAL
AGENCY (DAIG), U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
General McCoy. Thank you, Chairman, Ranking Member McNerney
and distinguished Members of the Committee. Thank you for the
invitation and the opportunity to speak to you today about
Arlington National Cemetery.
As the Deputy Army IG since October of 2008, and also the
acting Inspector General since August of 2010, I have been
intimately involved in all efforts concerning Arlington almost
continuously since July of 2009. After reviewing our 2010
inspection report and our investigation, the Secretary of the
Army set the course for correcting Cemetery processes and
procedures by issuing his Army Directive 2010-04. Our 2011
inspection evaluated progress in making corrections to the
inspection findings as well as implementation of that Army
directive. The remainder of my opening statement will address
some of the findings we found.
Up front, I believe our report and what you will hear today
will show that the changes that have taken place in the last
year is a good-news story. I am proud to report that the
deficiencies have been substantially corrected this year and
that the mismanagement reported to you last year no longer
exists.
Since the Secretary signed his directive, the Executive
Director has led her staff and other Army stakeholders to make
significant improvements at Arlington while still accomplishing
the Cemetery's daily mission. Of note, compared to last year's
inspection where we found numerous deficiencies, this year
there were no deficiencies noted. We made 31 observations and
noted two other matters on the progress that has been made and
the work still to be done. This alone underscores the
tremendous progress ANC and the Army have made in correcting
the problems at Arlington.
First, I want to address the culture. The insularity which
contributed so significantly to the mismanagement last year no
longer exists at Arlington. Instead, the Executive Director has
established an environment of collaboration, cooperation, and
coordination which has transformed the Cemetery's
organizational climate. Surveys and sensing sessions we
administered at Arlington over the last year reflect steadily
improving morale and organizational effectiveness. These
improvements can be directly attributed to the strong and
inclusive leadership of both the Executive Director and
Superintendent.
With regard to automated systems and processes, ANC now
possesses a fully functional information technology
architecture supported by the Army's Information Technology
Agency (ITA). ANC has partnered with ITA to employ a
consolidated customer service center in answering customer
calls, which have significantly improved customer service and
enabled a tiered response capability, using a Remedy tracking
system which allows collaborative resolution by call center
personnel and Cemetery representatives. ANC and the Veterans
Administration are now partnering to integrate the Cemetery's
interment scheduling services system and the VA burial
operations support system.
Additionally, ANC has partnered with other Army
stakeholders to create a digital research tool for digital
burial records, Cemetery maps, and headstone photographs, which
is enabling the Executive Director's Grave Site Accountability
Task Force.
Last, with regard to information assurance, today I can
report to you that Arlington National Cemetery's information
assurance is among the best in the Army.
In contracting, during the 2010 IG inspection, we found
that the Cemetery's procurement and contracting actions were
not compliant with Army, Defense, or Federal acquisition
regulations. This summer we reviewed over 20 contracts covering
services, engineering, and construction. We found that these
contracts are now properly aligned based on scope of work and
the correct contracting agency, that these agencies are
providing the oversight necessary to ensure that quality
contracts are properly awarded, and that ANC is effectively
monitoring those contracts.
In the budget arena, ANC now uses Army standard financial
management processes and works closely with the administrative
assistant to improve the development, execution, and oversight
of the program and budget. Further, the Executive Director's
decision to transition Arlington early to the General Fund
Enterprise Business System now provides full visibility on the
Cemetery's expenditures and has been critical to reversing
perceived budget shortfalls.
Our key recommendations in this year's report were
presented to the Secretary, and, as you have stated, there were
53 recommendations which we believe will further enhance the
progress already made.
In the areas of policy documentation, we recommended the
Executive Director continue to revise the regulations and
pamphlets to improve administration, operations, and
maintenance of the Army's 30 cemeteries and incorporate in it
the revision's long-term, robust, and continuous oversight
processes and mechanisms.
We also recommended a multiservice policy for Arlington in
order to standardize policies and improve efficiencies and
response.
To ensure long-term command and control and oversight, we
recommended the Department of the Army G3 provide Secretary
McHugh future options on how best to integrate the Army
National Cemetery command and control organizational alignment
and support relationships into established Army practices.
Regarding wait times, during our inspection we found that
interments and inurnments are increasing each year and that
wait times at Arlington continue to increase. We recommended
that the Secretary request his soon-to-be-formed Army National
Cemeteries Commission to examine the cause and effect of that
and make recommendations.
In conclusion, I believe the progress made at Arlington
since last June shows a significant turnaround in performance,
and demonstrates the Army's stalwart commitment to ensuring all
actions at this national shrine are executed to exacting
standards.
There is still more work to do. As the Army's Inspector
General, I know that restoring Arlington remains a high
priority for both the Secretary and the Chief of Staff of the
Army. Further, as the son of a mother and father who are buried
at Arlington National Cemetery, I have a personal interest in
ensuring that the Cemetery is properly managed.
I can tell you without hesitation, I have great confidence
that the Army is now and will continue to effectively perform
its sacred responsibilities to its veterans and their families
at Arlington National Cemetery.
Thank you, once again, for the invitation and the
opportunity to testify today on this most important subject.
[The prepared statement of General McCoy appears on p. 23.]
Mr. Runyan. Thank you very much, General.
With that, we will start a round of questions, starting
with myself, and alternating on either side of the aisle.
First question as a preface, you kind of touched on it in
your statement, just talking about recommendations that the IG
has set out, and basically alluded to that the focus of this
administration, is probably too short term, and there is a
worry about how you are going to be able to sustain improvement
as people like Ms. Condon and Pat move on.
Is that a natural part of changing personnel within any
Administration, or is it something that going forward you are
really fearful that they are not prepared in case something did
happen where experienced managers were no longer around to
continue improvements?
General McCoy. Congressman, I think we have to recognize
that we had a significant problem at Arlington National
Cemetery, and what Secretary McHugh did was, he applied focused
effort to fix it. It was contrary to what we had in our initial
report last year, but he believed, with the advice of his
staff, that this was a better approach, to put an Executive
Director in charge, focus solely on making corrections happen
as quickly as possible. And from our perspective, that was a
short-term fix.
He believes that he has to figure out a way to sustain this
effort. Right now, he has a quality workforce out there,
quality leadership out there, performing both the corrections
and the day-to-day mission and the long-term vision. But in the
long term, he has to figure out how to apply our command and
control in an appropriate way out there, and I think he is
looking forward to the recommendations both from Ms. Condon and
also from the G3 on that.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you. And you touched a little bit on the
increased use of technology. What role do you see the use of
technology in moving forward, specifically in the area of
policy documentation?
General McCoy. Well, for example, a year ago I could not
have told you what was happening at Arlington National Cemetery
on any given day. This morning, while we are sitting here, I
can tell you that they are burying 10 veterans or family
members and that they plan to do 34 burials today, and that is
on their Web site, and it is in the public domain. So they are
taking the 21st Century look at the Cemetery right now.
They have applied the resources, I think, that they have
been given, effectively. They have the Information Technology
Agency helping them. They are working with a call center to
make sure that they are capturing all of the calls that come
in. They weren't even doing that last year, and we didn't know
how bad it was until we started being able to capture some of
the calls.
And then on top of that, I think Ms. Condon has been given
the mission of formulating operations, administration, and
maintenance policy for all of our 30-some cemeteries. So she
will be able to apply that through the technology processes as
she is putting them in place now.
Mr. Runyan. And also in the report, there was a finding
that communications between the interment branch and the Honor
Guards needed refinement. Can you kind of clarify that a little
bit?
General McCoy. Well, I think what we found was with five
services, each with their own Honor Guard, their ceremonial
units, and their own bands, each with conflicting additional
service-related priorities and no common policy, that sometimes
it was hard to schedule services in a timely way, and we have
seen that in some of the services. We saw an increase in time.
Army and the Marine Corps I think were the best; and then the
other two, they had an extended time.
What Ms. Condon did about it initially, I mean she started
the open coordination with each of the services' capabilities.
And then beyond that, what she did is she is set up an
operations center that she expects to have service
representation, and that will help significantly, we believe.
But in the long term we think, and we have recommended to
the Secretary, that a multiservice policy be established for
common standards and ceremonial practices there so that we can
ensure we are more responsive to the needs of the relatives.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you. That is all I have. Mr. McNerney.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Major General McCoy,
thank you for appearing today.
What role did the IG play in exposing some of the problems
that we are hearing about or we heard about last year, and why
did the IG not find these problems in prior years? They must
have been building up over a long period of time.
General McCoy. That is a long story, Congressman, but I
will try to give you the CliffNotes version. There was a
general order that was published in the early nineties, shortly
after the previous administration got in place, and that
general order basically vested most authority for the
administration of the Cemetery into the Superintendent. The IG
of the Military District of Washington (MDW) had a relationship
initially with the Cemetery, but that was a collaborative
relationship between the Military District of Washington
commander and the Superintendent. Over time, that eroded.
We perform systemic inspections at the Department of the
Army Inspector General Agency based on the Secretary of the
Army's guidance, and our inspections had been focused outward,
looking at systems issues across the Army, given the deployed
environment we are in today. So things like supply, readiness,
leader development, those kinds of things.
When we got word in 2009 that there were some issues that
we were beginning to see at Arlington National Cemetery, we
recommended to the Secretary that we perform an inspection
there to look at policies and oversight and management of the
Cemetery, and as we started that inspection, we identified some
mismanagement that required investigation. So our Inspector
General investigators began to look at those, and then we saw
the contracting and IT, the information technology, was in bad
shape. So we added those additional items to the inspection.
That culminated in 2010 with a report, as you recall.
What we have done since then is we have ensured that, and
frankly, Public Law 111-339 helps, but it was already
anticipated that we were going to perform an oversight
inspection for the following years; and at the same time, we
are looking at other agencies that are helping with the
oversight. And Ms. Condon is looking internally at her
assessment capabilities as well. So I think it is going to be a
combined effort, ensuring that oversight remains strong in this
Cemetery over the years.
Mr. McNerney. So it sounds to me like that before 2009, the
DoD had some significant commitments and the Arlington
management was a little bit below the radar, and as problems
arose, it came into focus, and now you have put into place
procedures that will prevent this from happening again; is that
correct?
General McCoy. That is a fair statement.
Mr. McNerney. So I guess what I want to find out and be
comforted with is knowing that Arlington won't be flying below
the radar in the future--that there will be enough attention
because of the management structure that has been put in place
and that we won't be seeing that problem again?
General McCoy. I think you should be comfortable with that
at this point.
Mr. McNerney. Well, thank you. I am glad to hear that. One
of the things that is the most difficult to hear about is the
sort of treatment that families have gotten when they want to
inter or bury one of their loved ones: an 80 percent
dissatisfaction rate with the telephone hotline and and long
wait times.
Has someone from your office tried to call into the system
lately to find out if that telephone response is what it should
be?
General McCoy. Well, as you know, there was no real system
before 2010. I mean, what they had is a couple of Cemetery
representatives that were answering the phones, and if they
didn't get to the phone, the person got dropped. So immediately
after Ms. Condon took charge out there, she established a call
center, initially in the basement, and now she is working with
the Information Technology Agency with a call center that
answers all of the calls that come in and distributes the calls
based on whether it is about a tourism issue or a burial issue,
and the burial issues are referred to her scheduling branch.
What we found also is that that captures the discrepancies
or the potential discrepancies that family members may have
concerns about, and so they call. And at the time the
inspection ended, there was about 1,300 calls over the last
year inquiring about the potential discrepancies. Now, the vast
majority of those, there were no discrepancies and they were
able to be corrected in reviewing of the paperwork. But what we
found, as we checked both the call center and the Cemetery
representatives is that they approached each one very
deliberately and professionally and compassionately in order to
support the needs of the family member. In some cases, they
actually did check the body physically to ensure that it was
the proper grave site, the proper casket, the proper place, and
in all--in most of those cases, the family members were
satisfied with what they had done.
Mr. McNerney. Okay. Thank you, Major General. I am going to
yield back.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you. Mr. Lamborn.
Mr. Lamborn. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for
having this hearing. And General, thank you for your service to
our country, and thank you for addressing these important
issues.
When these problems came to the surface last year, many
Americans were very concerned, and understandably so. In
addressing the concerns, I don't want to overlook the many good
things that were done out at Arlington National Cemetery both
in the past and in the present and leading up till now. Many
people were treated with the utmost dignity and respect as they
were put into their final resting place. So thank you for the
good things that were also done during this whole time.
But in addressing the issues that were of concern to
everybody, can this Committee do anything to better support you
and Ms. Condon and her team out at Arlington National Cemetery
as we go forward?
General McCoy. I would offer to you, if you haven't been
there, take yourself and as many of your staff members and
Committee Members with you to go out and visit the Cemetery. I
mean, it is a hallowed site. My wife and I walk through it
every weekend. I know that Ms. Condon walks through it multiple
times a day, but it will bring you back to reality.
Speaking with Ms. Condon and her staff and watching Mr.
Hallinan and what he does to train and develop the junior
leaders that are out there and getting an update from them--not
from the Inspector General or the Director--about what they
feel to be changed out there, I think would be very useful to
you. So that from that perspective, I commend a visit out to
the Cemetery.
Mr. Lamborn. Okay. Thank you for that, and do know that we
stand by to lend any assistance that should be necessary.
And secondly, with the increase in burial services, are you
able to ensure that each family's wishes are met during the
service?
General McCoy. I will let Ms. Condon answer part of that,
but frankly, the belief I have is that now that they have this
call center in place and they are actually able to capture the
calls and the demand, the good side of that is they are meeting
the requirements of the family members. The bad news to that is
they are seeing an increase in their demand because they now
know how many people actually want to be buried there, because
that is problematic because it means that they are now
capturing that demand. They get about 43 calls a day. They are
able to bury about 27 to 30. Today, they plan for 34. So their
demand exceeds their capacity.
Mr. Lamborn. Okay. And the last question is, specifically,
there was an issue that came out at the last hearing--and I
know that Ms. Condon may also want to address this--but there
were 69 boxes that were found of records in a storage facility.
And have those records been compiled and examined and disposed
of in the proper way?
General McCoy. Congressman, that was not part of the IG's
finding and I will let Ms. Condon address that. I do know that
has been turned over to Criminal Investigation Division for
review.
[The DoD, on behalf of Ms. Condon, subsequently responded
with the following information:]
On 9 June 2011, Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) was
contacted by the Property Manager, Fort Knox Self Storage,
Falls Church, VA, who discovered 69 boxes with what appeared to
be ANC documents in a storage unit that was currently up for
auction due to the tenant failing to pay the rent. After an
initial investigation by U.S. Army Criminal Investigation
Command, the documents were returned to ANC and ANC personnel
conducted a thorough review of all documents recovered and
determined them to be printed copies of previously scanned
records of interment and grave cards currently maintained in
the ANC data archives. ANC reported the potential loss of
Personal Identifiable Information, as required by Department of
the Army policy. The Army determined that the tenant of the
storage unit who failed to pay rent was an information
technology contractor and the contractor was the only one who
had access to the interment records stored there. This
contractor had access to the interment records for the purpose
of database development under an ANC contract. All current
scanning contracts include requirements for records security
and disposal of residual information to protect personal
identifiable information in accordance with Army regulations.
Mr. Lamborn. Okay. I appreciate your answers, General, and
Mr. Chairman, I yield back.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you, Mr. Lamborn. Mr. Walz.
Mr. Walz. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and Ranking Member.
General McCoy, thank you and the IG for the fine work you do. I
think every bit of praise to Ms. Condon and Superintendent
Hallinan are well deserved. I also wish more of our colleagues
could maybe see this.
I would like to think one of our primary responsibilities
of oversight as Members of Congress, the system worked. The IG
was able to report things that came to Congress, took an active
role. The Chairman and the Ranking Member addressed the issues
for the right ways, both from the Federal side of things and
from the private contractors, and now we have a system that is
doing what it is supposed to do for those families. So that is
a good thing, and I think the public doesn't get enough good
news like that.
I just had just a couple things. How often will you review
Arlington now from an IG perspective? Do you go back to a
normal set schedule, General, or will there be a little
difference in how you go about making sure this level of
service is maintained?
General McCoy. Ms. Condon may want to tell you, too much.
But I will tell you this. Last year, we were out there almost
continuously. After the inspection and investigation started in
2009, we finished that in 2010. We did an interim review in--we
had already planned an interim review in 2010 in the December-
January time frame, December and January 2011, and then Public
Law 111-339 came out that required inspections over the next 3
years. So we did an interim review in December. We had already
planned a summer 2011 inspection, a reinspection. Now we are
going to do one again next summer, and next summer we will work
with Ms. Condon to ensure that we are not only looking at what
remains to be done, but that she is sustaining the work that is
required. And then we are required by that law to do one in
2013.
But our intent is to have, as Secretary McHugh has
discovered, a look at all of these direct report units that
report to the Army staff, that we may not have been as good at
looking at in the past to make sure we have a sustained program
for looking at each of those over the years. So that is part of
our program.
Mr. Walz. Great. This was addressed a little bit by the
Ranking Member, and I am interested in this because I know what
the systems analysis--the forensic lookback and the gap
analysis that you did to find out what we could do better.
Those systems, are they durable enough to withstand when Ms.
Condon and Mr. Hallinan move to something bigger and better--
not entirely--when they move, can the system sustain itself
without that direct leadership?
General McCoy. I think the answer to that is yes. What I
would say is that what Mr. Hallinan and Ms. Condon are doing is
they are establishing core competencies out there and core
capabilities, and then they are defining those and they are
defining those in writing over time. So there will be a
standard operating procedure (SOP), an Army pamphlet, and an
Army regulation that describe precisely how Arlington National
Cemetery and the other Army cemeteries should operate, and that
will be a useful document.
Now, it comes down to leadership. The thing that changed
Arlington is the climate, the environment, and the inclusive
leadership that has been established out there. So you have to
have the right leaders in place.
Mr. Walz. And my final question--you may be the wrong
person to, but I am going to articulate it because it has to
every time we have this discussion--should we be looking at
folding Arlington into the VA system so that we have that
established overall check, and roll them together with the Old
Guard providing the interments and bringing it under one?
I know this gets brought up every time. In this time of
budgets and these types of issues where you had an entity
outside an established protocol of the VA, is that something
that the IG look at from a cost-benefit analysis or systems to
roll them into VA?
General McCoy. I know a lot of people are looking at that.
I know GAO will come back to you in December and provide you a
recommendation in accordance with the public law. As a soldier,
I would tell you--and a veteran--I would say I would like to
see Arlington stay with the Army. We bring soldiers in. We take
care of them their entire career, and they are ours to retire
properly.
As an IG, I would tell you, I think you are going to have
increased bureaucratic ineffectiveness if you bring in the
Veterans Administration and try to work it with Arlington and
the Army using the Old Guard. So I do think there will be some
increased ineffectiveness if you do that.
Mr. Walz. I appreciate that candid response. I yield back,
Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you, Mr. Walz. Mr. Stutzman.
Mr. Stutzman. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, Major
General McCoy, for being here. And we appreciate your service,
first of all, and also your work out at Arlington Cemetery. I
know for all of us as Americans and I can, speaking for myself,
remember as a young boy walking through for the first time at
Arlington and just the impression it left on me. I know we are
all very, very proud of Arlington National Cemetery, and we
want to be supportive, and we want it to be something we can
all be proud of.
My question, to kind of follow up on Mr. Walz's last
question regarding VA and the Army operating the Cemetery, the
original VA IG inspection recommended that Arlington National
Cemetery negotiate a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the
Department of VA to include Arlington National Cemetery in
their National Cemeteries Administration's operations,
assessment, and inspection program.
While multiple reviews and inspections have occurred, why
has Arlington ignored this recommendation, given the value of
outside inspectors who are recognized as experts in this field,
in providing an independent assessment of operations and
management?
General McCoy. Well, Congressman, I think that is fair. The
Secretary--well, that was our recommendation. The Secretary
took us in a different direction when he assigned
responsibility for the Cemetery to the Executive Director. One
of the first things she did is hire away from the Veterans
Administration the architect of their assessment program, Mr.
Hallinan, and so he is now working for us, number one.
Number two, they have trained a number of their people.
Even while we have all of these different assessments going on
from the Army, they have sent a lot of their folks to the
Veterans Administration training facility, in Jefferson
Barracks in Missouri, to receive Veterans Administration
cemetery training.
And even now, Mr. Hallinan is also preparing an assessment
program, which we would call in the Army an organizational
inspection program. He is preparing that assessment program for
Arlington National Cemetery and is training his people with the
Veterans Administration. They have not done an MOU, but they
are working--they are partnering together.
Mr. Stutzman. Okay. And kind of a follow-up on another
recommendation that the commission, when formed, should examine
the causes and effects of increasing wait times and recommend
changes to DoD, Army, and Army National Cemetery program
processes and procedures to reduce wait times appropriately.
Why is it appropriate for this Department's advisory--this
Department of the Army's advisory body to make recommendations
to a problem whose solution obviously rests on a joint Office
of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) and military service
collaborative integrated effort?
General McCoy. I think the short answer is yes. At the
organizational level, Ms. Condon and Arlington Cemetery and
internal to the Army, and even OSD, we can find answers to
initial questions that are evolving out there at Arlington
National Cemetery. But at the strategic level, as you think
about the transparency that you would want us to have with you
on this sacred ground, we thought that the advisory
commission--the Secretary thought having an advisory commission
that could provide him unbiased advice on how to best operate
the Cemetery would be useful and transparent.
And so while some of these questions can be answered, such
as wait time and things and throughput and all those kinds of
things, at the end of the day, having an external body review
the situation and provide us some options and some
recommendations to the Secretary I think is useful.
Mr. Stutzman. Do you think that there will be any delay in
a solution being found while the Army looks at it?
General McCoy. I think we are going to have--I think I know
Ms. Condon. She is going to figure it out herself initially and
commence work, but it will be reinforced by what the commission
provides back to her and maybe altered some by what the
commission provides back.
Mr. Stutzman. Okay. Thank you again, for your service and
appreciate what you do. I know we all want to see it be
something we can continue to be proud of, and I know we will be
with some work--working together. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I
yield back.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you.
Major General McCoy, on behalf of the Subcommittee, I want
to thank you for your testimony. Thank you for your service to
this country. I look forward to working with you and continue
working with you on these important matters as we get this
right. So you are now excused and we will have panel 2 please
come forward and have a seat at the table.
General McCoy. Thank you, Mr. Congressman. With your
permission, I am going to go ahead and leave. If you want me to
stay----
Mr. Runyan. I apologize for having a vote across the
street, but I know you are probably crunched for time.
General McCoy. I am willing to stay if you want me to.
Mr. Runyan. You can leave. Thank you.
On the second panel of this hearing, we will be hearing
from Ms. Condon, the Executive Director of National Cemeteries
Program for the Department of the Army, who is accompanied by
Patrick Hallinan, Superintendent of Arlington National
Cemetery. Ms. Condon, your complete written statement will be
entered into the hearing record, and you are now recognized for
your statement.
STATEMENT OF KATHRYN A. CONDON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, NATIONAL
CEMETERIES PROGRAM, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY,
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE; ACCOMPANIED
BY PATRICK K. HALLINAN, SUPERINTENDENT, ARLINGTON NATIONAL
CEMETERY, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF THE ARMY, U.S. DEPARTMENT
OF DEFENSE
Ms. Condon. Mr. Chairman and distinguished Members of the
Committee, thank you once again for providing the opportunity
for Mr. Hallinan and I to discuss the progress at Arlington. As
most of the Members of this Committee know from previous
hearings and also from visits to the cemetery, over the last 15
months Mr. Hallinan and I and the entire workforce have worked
diligently to right the wrongs of the past at Arlington
National Cemetery. As you just heard from the Inspector
General, significant progress has been made in all aspects of
the Cemetery's performance, accountability, and modernization.
Mr. Hallinan and I now lead a dedicated group of
individuals who are committed to honoring our fallen military
heroes and their family members. As you know, at the start, we
encountered a workforce where skills were misaligned with
organizational needs. Training was inadequate to allow them to
properly and effectively perform their assigned duties, and
equipment was outdated or did not exist to perform the mission
to standard. To that end, we focused our attention on
reorganizing and training the workforce and addressing all of
the discrepancies in the 2010 IG report.
We have put in place standards that previously were lacking
or were inadequate. New equipment has been introduced, as well
as training with industry on how to operate it safely and with
proficiency. As you have seen just a year ago, Arlington was
using an outdated method to schedule burial services. Yes, we
were using a typewriter to record critical information about
veterans' gravesites and interment details. Today, we leverage
industry best practices in database management, and we have
installed a state-of-the-art scheduling system that ensures
visibility to all our stakeholders and ability to share
information like never before.
Now, accountability is maintained using a six-step chain of
custody process. We have stood up the Accountability Task
Force, a joint military and civilian team focused to meet and
exceed the requirements first directed by Secretary McHugh, and
later by the Public Law 111-339.
But the most significant change to the Cemetery has been
the effective use of technology, from our new Arlington Web
site to our Geospatial Application Development Initiative,
which will form a Google maps-like information system that
enables the Cemetery to better manage the grounds, grave and
niche assignments, and provide street direction and site
locations for our guests, to the implementation of the Army's
General Fund Enterprise Business System, which provides Web-
enabled financial asset and accounting management. We did not
have that before.
Mr. Chairman, we have worked diligently to earn and
maintain the faith of our veterans and their loved ones. The
demands have been significant, but Mr. Hallinan and I will both
tell you that we still have some challenges that we need to
work. But as outlined in the IG report, both reform and
progress have been implemented at Arlington.
Conducting military burial services with dignity, honor,
and precision has been part of the fabric of Arlington National
Cemetery since the Army's first burial more than 150 years ago.
Each day, the Army along with the Navy, the Air Force, the
Marines, and the Coast Guard, carry out this tradition,
participating on an average of 27 funeral services each day.
To date this calendar year, we have conducted 5,358
burials, 3,216 ceremonies, and we have hosted over 4 million
visitors and guests and reviewed over 1,300 family member
concerns. I would like to say that no other cemetery in the
United States has such a diverse mission or such a diverse
role.
In summary, during the last 15 months, from information
technology and manpower efforts to grave-site accountability
and comprehensive inspections and audits, the Army has used
virtually every asset in its inventory to improve management,
operations and processes at Arlington.
Thank you for allowing Mr. Hallinan and I to answer some
questions today and to highlight the improvements that we have
made, and we look forward to answering your questions.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Condon appears on p. 30.]
Mr. Runyan. Thank you for your testimony. In the IG report,
referring to developing your call center to address the self-
assessment performance, it couldn't identify any other way that
you would obtain any measurable metrics. Have you done anything
to address their concern on that issue?
Ms. Condon. Sir, yes, we have; but you know, Mr. Hallinan
will also expound on this because I will get his comments as
well.
The first thing we did at the Cemetery was we had to
rebuild the workforce. We literally redid each and every
position description. We had to train the workforce, put in
standards and operating procedures, and so now we are
implementing those standards and operating procedures. And from
them, you know, we will work the metrics to make sure that the
workforce is truly doing what they need to do on a day-to-day
basis.
Is there anything you want to add on that, Mr. Hallinan?
Mr. Hallinan. Mr. Chairman, I will just add in a very
strategic sense that we use the term three Rs, and in fact, one
of your colleagues mentioned it. It is to reorganize, retrain,
and retool. That is exactly the process that has been employed.
It is easily understand by the rank-and-file workforce. It is
not an easy task to accomplish, especially in a short time
frame.
But specifically to your question, you know, when we stood
up the call center, we actually captured the amount of calls
coming in. Each family that called in was assigned a case
number with Remedy. Each family will get a returned phone call.
Calls are not being dropped. Phones are not being abandoned. So
now we have a metrics. We have a systems approach. We have
accountability. So we established a baseline, and how we could
try to impact that system even further and improve that process
which did not exist 14 months ago.
Mr. Runyan. Kind of leading into that you mentioned in your
statement your 1,300 inquiries. Have they all been addressed,
and what are the major issues with the ones that are
outstanding?
Ms. Condon. Sir, as reported in the IG report, you know, we
have addressed most of those 1,300, and I think the number in
the report was there were 18 that we were still working on. I
am here to report that there are only 13 left that we are still
working on. Nine of those 13, we are working with the families
to--you know, with their concerns with the Cemetery, and 4 of
those 13 we are turning over to our Accountability Task Force.
The reason why we are turning them over to our
Accountability Task Force, it is--to give you one example. An
individual came in and said he thinks his father is buried at
Arlington. Well, when we checked our records and we checked the
national grave site locator record, you know, we do not find
his father; but as we do the Accountability Task Force looking
at each and every record at the Cemetery perhaps we will be
able to discover something. That is just one of the examples,
but we are working on that, very limited number left, and every
other inquiry that we receive from a family member to date.
Mr. Runyan. And I know we kind of touched on this a little
bit when you were in front of the Oversight Committee on Armed
Services a couple of weeks ago; but the switch of the Army
Corps' oversight and their engineering from the Baltimore
District to the Norfolk District, why again did that happen?
Ms. Condon. Sir, as you know, when Mr. Hallinan and I
received the IG report in 2010, the status quo on any operation
at Arlington was not acceptable. That was the reason why we
relooked each and every requirement at the Cemetery from all of
our service contracts to include all of those construction
projects that we had. The reason why: We wanted a fresh look,
and transferring to the Norfolk District from Baltimore allowed
us to have that fresh look and not to be wedded on everything
that happened in the past, but only to look forward.
Mr. Runyan. And in dealing with burial service today,
interment delays--and again, I know with your call center you
realized how much need there actually is: Are you operating at
optimal capacity right there, or is there room to speed this up
and help this along? Because I know it came up in other
Subcommittees that there are a lot of people frustrated because
it actually costs the families money to sit around and wait for
the burial.
Ms. Condon. Sir, I will also let Mr. Hallinan, you know,
expound on the fact as well, but one of the things that we have
done to address that issue is we now have Saturday services.
Our Saturday services are for family members and for those who
do not require honors or want honors. So that has allowed us to
work on some of the backlog for placement only in the Cemetery.
One of the things that we do track on a daily basis is, you
know, scheduling those services. And we have found that
families are willing to wait just for the honor to be buried at
Arlington National Cemetery. Mr. Hallinan.
Mr. Hallinan. Mr. Chairman, as Ms. Condon mentioned, we are
interring 6 days a week. We are the only national cemetery in
the United States that operates 6 days a week. That was a good-
faith effort on our part to improve service to the families and
possibly reduce any cost they may incur. But with the
technology that is in place now, I believe there is still
opportunity for improvement, I think with coordination with the
military services, with the support of our commanding general
of MDW, we are looking for further opportunities during the
week that we can increase services. But I do want to mention,
we have increased expectations.
So I can see the more efficient we become, the need for
interments may rise. So we have seen it with the phone calls. I
believe that is what is happening with the interments. Even
though we are interring 6 days a week, more people want to be
interred at Arlington National Cemetery, which I take as a sign
of confidence and trust of the American people that interments
are up.
One cautionary note. In our efforts to be efficient, the
Cemetery is operating in a small sector, and as you have been
out there yourself, Mr. Chairman, most of our activities are
located in a small quadrant. We have to be real careful in our
efforts to improve service that we don't impact the services of
those that are already scheduled, so when each family has that
service, there is not activity and another service going on
nearby that in any way would impact that in a negative way.
We have increased--our goal right now is 30 interments. We
are averaging 27. Today's is 34. We like to be consistent with
30 interments to better serve the American people. But we are
also conscious that when we serve them, we don't impact them in
a negative way. So it is a strategic issue right now for us and
a logistics issue.
Mr. Runyan. And understood, too, and as our--specifically
our Korean and Vietnam veterans age, there is going to be a
higher demand there. So that is kind of where I wanted to get
to; what is your capacity, and are you going to be able to
handle that? But thanks for what you said.
[The DoD subsequently responded with the following
information:]
An important point to consider is that all Korean and Vietnam
veterans may not be eligible for in-ground interment at
Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). Current estimates show the
cemetery will exhaust its availability for in-ground burial in
approximately 2025 and above-ground inurnments in approximately
FY 2016. ANC is moving forward with expanding above-ground
burial capacity with the addition of Columbarium Court 9. This
construction will add approximately 20,000 niches to the
inventory, which will extend niche space burials to
approximately FY 2024, given the current rate of inurnments.
Additionally, the Master Planning effort is evaluating options
for further expansion in the Millennium Project, the land
adjacent to Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall, which will extend
in-ground burial to approximately FY 2035. Also, the Navy Annex
will provide for additional above- and below-ground burial
capacity. Every effort is being made to extend the life of
active burials at ANC for future generations of eligible
veterans and their loved ones.
Mr. Runyan. And with that, Mr. McNerney, you are now
recognized.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you. Well, first of all, I want to
thank the witnesses for their hard work and congratulate you
for how much you have accomplished in the last year. It is
pretty clear from the testimony and from the evidence that you
have come a long way, and I certainly appreciate that. Everyone
on the Committee and every American who has a relative in the
service appreciates that.
What would be the waiting time for a family that wanted
that wanted to have their loved one interred there at ANC?
Ms. Condon. Sir, it depends on the services that the family
members want to have. Because if you want to use the chapel at
Fort Myer, the caisson and a chaplain, you know, those factors,
and what military service is providing the honors is, as Mr.
Hallinan discussed before, that is part of the orchestration
that we have to do on a daily basis. But you know, one of the
goals that Mr. Hallinan and I both have, now that we have
metrics, is to--you know, working with all the services to
decrease the wait time for a family member to have their loved
one buried at the Cemetery.
Mr. Hallinan, if you want to add.
Mr. Hallinan. As Ms. Condon has stated, there are a lot of
factors at work here. The question came up previously, are you
meeting the family's wishes and the family's needs? And that
drives this process. That causes part of the delay for an
interment. If a family does want full military honors, they
have earned it, they deserve it, they are willing to wait, that
will impact the wait time. We are sensitive to it. We have the
baseline. We have the number. I know how many days it has taken
for the average family to be interred at Arlington to date. We
want to reduce that time frame, but at the same time meet the
needs of the families. If they are willing to wait, if that
family member, that loved one----
Mr. McNerney. What is the longest a family would have to
wait?
Mr. Hallinan. I want to say about 74 days, Mr. Congressman.
Right now, that is the current average with full military
honors and use of the Old Post Chapel.
Mr. McNerney. And you have quite a bit of flexibility in
terms of what the family wants? Say, if they want a motorcycle
escort, is that allowed? And they get a bugler, and those
things? Those are always available if that is what the family
wants; is that right?
Mr. Hallinan. We work very hard to comply with families'
wishes, at the same time, being mindful of the dignity and
decorum of Arlington National Cemetery; but yes, we do.
Mr. McNerney. Well, one of the things that has come up in
questioning here is that we want to be assured that reforms
that you put in place are going to outlive your tenure with the
organization. Now, one of the ways to do that is to make sure
that there are good regulations or good procedures that are
documented.
Can you talk a little bit about what documents are
available now and how well those might be followed by the
current staff. And procedures are going to need to be updated.
What are in place to make sure the procedures are updated as
new technology becomes available?
Ms. Condon. Sir, I will start with that one. First of all,
I have been given the direction to update all of our Army
regulations and policies, and also working with the Department
of Defense, so that we do it across all services as well. Mr.
Hallinan and I have focused on putting in the--and documenting
the standard operating procedures. And one of the things that I
think we are the most proud of is we are truly digitizing the
Cemetery. Our long-range plan is to eliminate paper and to do
everything, you know, with electronic means to include--that
will allow us to update our regulations and our policies, et
cetera, you know, just really at real-time. So that is one of
the things that we have been focused on.
Mr. McNerney. So your employees there are familiar with the
procedures and the regulations requirements and they have some
input if there is a little flaw? I want to make sure that those
procedures are a living force that gives guidance to your
employees.
Ms. Condon. Sir, you know, our employees are the ones who
are assisting us as we write our standard operating procedures,
and I will let Mr. Hallinan expound on this because it falls on
the operational side. But just to give an example, our
Columbarium worker literally sat down on her time and wrote
down the procedures for what she does, you know, at the
Columbarium Courts at Arlington. So there is involvement in not
only the staff, but in the expertise that Mr. Hallinan has
brought to the Cemetery.
So it is a living document because, as you know, as
technology improves, as equipment improves, we all have to make
sure that we update all of our policies as well.
Mr. Hallinan. Mr. Congressman, specifically to your
question about succession planning and what is Arlington
National Cemetery going to be when our tenure is over, Ms.
Condon and I focused on that. There is a succession plan in
place. Position descriptions have been written. There are
career-ladder positions in the ISB which is the interment
branch. There are career-ladder positions in place now that did
not exist 15 months ago for field operations. The employees,
the rank and file, the union, are all involved in the many
changes that are taking place. We are communicating from bottom
up and from the top down with the workforce.
But in order to sustain the improvements and to ensure they
last, you need documented policies. You need standard operating
procedures. We have written standards and measures that are in
place. We have career development for the employees. We have
internal training, external training. We have partnered with
the VA. There is a formal signed agreement between the
Secretary of the VA and the Secretary of the Army.
The end of this month, sir, there will be four Arlington
National Cemetery employees who will be trained on
organizational assessment and improvement. We have the in-house
expertise for that at Arlington presently. We are going to
continue to leverage and develop that capacity. So these are
good times. These are positive reinforcements for the
employees. Our employees have individual development plans.
And specifically to your question about input, when we
create the SOPs, we do it as a team. And those standard
operating procedures, while they guide the organization and
they can train the next generation coming in, they are not
written in granite. Those SOPs are made to be changed by the
people who actually do the work. So if there is a change in
technology, we can capitalize on IT or a new piece of equipment
or a different chemical that is applied at the Cemetery. We are
going to look at those opportunities. We are going to look at
best practices within the VA, and more importantly, we are
going to look at best practices across the industry.
So I am very positive going forward. I am very pleased with
the efforts of the workforce to date.
Mr. McNerney. Mr. Chairman, I have one more question if you
will allow it?
Mr. Runyan. Go ahead, yes.
Mr. McNerney. I am just going to follow up on an earlier
answer that you have a 74-day average waiting period. What is
your goal in terms of reducing that, and when do you think you
might meet that goal?
Mr. Hallinan. I would like to set bench goals, short-term
goals, and slowly decrease that number. So we are at 74 now. I
would like to look at 65, 60, 56, slowly whittle that number
down, at the same time as we apply our resources and expertise
to reduce that number, being mindful of the type of service we
are providing the families, as I stated earlier. If we
average--if we move up to 35 interments a day, but I have four
or five families that felt their service wasn't proper or they
were impacted in some negative way, that is not a goal. That is
something we want to guard against. So we are acutely aware of
the service we are providing, how important it is.
We only get one chance to do this. We only get one chance
to do this right. If that service is wrong, a family member
will always remember that. If that service is done well and the
honors that they have earned are rendered properly and
professionally, the family will always remember that, also. So
it is a sensitive area.
So I want--we don't want to appear that we are being too
systematic or too bureaucratic in our approach, but we do want
to reduce the wait time.
Mr. McNerney. Thank you. Thank you for your indulgence, Mr.
Chairman.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you, Mr. McNerney. Mr. Walz.
Mr. Walz. Thank you again, Mr. Chairman. As you heard, and
I think we can't say it enough, thanks to both of you. I know
you are busy folks, but if we can find a reason to bring you up
here, I always feel better when you are here. It is like we are
moving in the proper direction, and it is obvious in your tone
and in the outcomes that you have that you understand how
important this is and that you care deeply on each and every
one of these veterans. And for that, I am incredibly grateful.
I am going to ask both of you, again--it may have been
asked. I am sorry, I had to step out for a minute. Are the
systems resilient enough to--and I know you are both very
humble servants, but in all honesty, when others come in, can
they step right in, and, as you said, make this work and adapt
the SOP to those situations and still get the quality of care?
Ms. Condon. Congressman, absolutely. The bottom line is,
Mr. Hallinan and I--he has already talked previously about we
have a succession plan for each and every employee in every
position we have, to include our own. The bottom line is we
have focused on the long-range vision on where we want to take
Arlington to the future, from not only expansion but for the
time that--you know, reducing the time it takes to be, you
know, buried at the Cemetery. So my goal and Mr. Hallinan's
goal is to make sure that, you know, who should follow us,
whenever that is, is that they--that the ball is not dropped
and that they just continue the same efforts that we are doing
today.
Mr. Walz. Super. And maybe you can help me with this in
trying to understand, as all of us, obviously we are looking
for efficiencies, we are looking for savings, but we also
understand that services, as you said, must be done right. They
must be done effectively. How many full-time employees does
Arlington have now?
Ms. Condon. Sir, when we did our manpower study, we were to
bring our workforce up to 157 civilians. That is not counting
our contracts. Right now, we are very close to that number. I
think the exact number, Pat, is 100--in the 140s. It has been a
priority for both Mr. Hallinan and I to make sure that we bring
the right number of people so that we can make sure that each
and every family member who has a loved one interred at
Arlington, that we have the right amount of workforce to do
that correctly.
Mr. Walz. When you budget, Ms. Condon, for this and you go
to the Army and let them know how much it is going to need for
operation, do you feel confident that in this environment, and
as we are trying to be as efficient as possible, though, that
you are in an environment, if the need arises, that you can ask
for the necessary funding to do the job? And our goal is no
more, no less, but the job must be done. This is not one that
can be pushed back. Do you feel confident you can do that?
Ms. Condon. Sir, I definitely feel confident, because the
reason we were able to accomplish so much in the last 15 months
is because we truly leveraged the entire Army and the
capabilities the Army provided from, you know, our ITA
organization for all of our information technology, to actually
the GIS (geographic information system) mapping that we are
currently doing in the Cemetery. We just leveraged an all-ready
Army effort. I do not feel that--and I am not shy to go forward
and say what we truly require to run Arlington National
Cemetery and feel that I have the support of not only Army but
DoD.
Mr. Walz. I am glad to hear that. The reason I asked you is
we had the Army breakfast this morning, and General Dinaro and
Secretary McHugh were there, and I think we all know if we end
up in sequestration, $1.1 trillion is going to come out of
defense budget and the Army.
My question is, when that happens, how is Arlington
prioritized in this, again, to make sure you have the resources
to do what you need to do? Is that conversation, if you can--it
is very generalized, I understand that. Is that conversation
happening?
Ms. Condon. Sir, as a matter of fact, I discussed this
topic with the Chief of Staff on his first day as the new Army
Chief of Staff, and Arlington truly is a priority and with just
100 employees and the technology--I don't want to say this, but
I am really not that large a dollar amount to actually run the
Cemetery effectively and efficiently.
Mr. Walz. That is great to hear. Again, I can't thank both
of you enough on behalf of the American people. This is a great
success story and done for all the right reasons, and not
enough good things can be said about you and your people who
are out there now. It is great turnaround. So I yield back.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you, Mr. Walz.
I actually have a few more questions. If you guys do, you
can feel free to stick around. But a few weeks ago, there was a
dedication ceremony for a new Columbarium on the books, and
because of a protest filed over a contract award, it was
canceled. And this Subcommittee staff actually contacted your
Legislative Affairs Office, and you also, and did not receive a
response on that matter. And would just like any information on
the contract protest in question and your reason for delay.
Ms. Condon. Congressman Runyan, as you know, the protest is
under--is a procurement action, and I don't have any further
details on that protest. And that is what I said to the staff
at the time, was that once it was under protest, it is in the
procurement channels and I do not have the details. And I would
have to take that question for the record and get back to you.
[The DoD subsequently provided the following information:]
On September 12, 2011, Grunley Construction Company filed a
protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO)
against the award of Solicitation No. W912DR-11-R-0035
(Contract No. W912DR-11-C-0031) to Forrester Construction
Company for Construction of Columbarium Court 9 at the
Arlington National Cemetery. The Grunley Construction Company
has protested not receiving award of the subject contract and
the Government's evaluation of their technical proposal as
being too low. Specific source selection information related to
this protest is currently under a GAO protective order. In
accordance with the Competition in Contracting Act, performance
of the contract has been stayed until resolution of the
protest. We expect GAO's final decision on this protest by
December 21, 2011, and will take appropriate action in
accordance with that decision.
Mr. Runyan. Thank you. Mr. McNerney, you have any further
questions? No, you don't? Mr. Walz?
I would like to thank you both for coming and for your
testimony. I commend you for the job you are doing. I say it
time and time again. I think you get the raw end of the deal
sometimes. You are heading in the right direction. You have
vision and you have procedures and protocols that you are
obviously putting in place that are really going to turn what
happens at Arlington around, and I commend both of you for your
dedication and all of your hard work. So thank you very much.
I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative
days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous
material. Hearing no objection, so ordered.
I thank all the Members for their attendance today, and
this hearing is adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 12:59 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
----------
Prepared Statement of Hon. Jon Runyan, Chairman, Subcommittee on
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs
Good morning and welcome. This oversight hearing of the
Subcommittee on Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs will now
come to order.
I would first like to thank Ms. Condon, Major General McCoy, and
Mr. Hallinan for lending their valuable time to be here this morning to
discuss Arlington National Cemetery with the Subcommittee.
A couple of months ago Ms. Condon and Mr. Hallinan testified before
this Subcommittee on the progress they have made after taking over the
administration of Arlington following the deplorable revelations in
last year's Army IG Report.
We are here today to continue that discussion of the progress that
has been made at Arlington National Cemetery and the work that
continues to be done there.
There are many veterans' cemeteries across this great land--each
one of these sites is hallowed ground. Every grave marker honors the
cherished memory of our Nation's heroes who have been laid to rest.
Yet Arlington National Cemetery has long been a national symbol of
these sacred memorials, while remaining unique and special in the minds
of America's citizens.
As I mentioned a few months ago at our previous hearing on
Arlington, it is clear that 1 year would not be long enough to correct
the many problems at Arlington National Cemetery and fix every issue
brought about by years of neglect and mismanagement. I know we all
share a sense of urgency in continuing to address the issues at ANC and
can agree that tremendous strides have been accomplished by the new
team at Arlington.
Ms. Condon and Mr. Hallinan, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on
Disability and Memorial Affairs, I want to personally commend your
efforts in bringing about these much needed changes.
Today, my focus, and that of this hearing, is on the process moving
forward with the strong foundation laid by this new administration at
Arlington National Cemetery.
In particular, I should note this foundation includes the most
recent Army Inspector General's report which found substantial
corrections from the past deficiencies identified in the initial report
that brought many of these challenges to light.
In short, due to your diligence, hard work, and excellent
management, the problems which plagued Arlington National Cemetery just
1 year ago have been addressed and the majority have been eliminated.
Moving forward, I hope to learn how this progress will be
sustained; and your plans to strengthen the improvements already made.
In particular, based on the I.G. report's key recommendations, I
look forward in hearing your thoughts and plans for:
the creation of a Multi-service policy for Arlington;
the long term command, planning, and oversight of the
Army National Cemeteries; and
internment wait times and the cemetery lifespan in
reaching its full capacity.
Again, I would like to thank all of you for being here today. And
thank you for your commitment to this great cemetery for our true
American heroes.
I would now call on the Ranking Member for his opening statement.
Prepared Statement of Hon. Jerry McNerney, Ranking Democratic Member,
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to thank you for holding today's hearing on an Update
on reform and Progress at Arlington National Cemetery.
This hearing follows up on a June 23, 2011 Subcommittee hearing on
this issue where numerous concerns were raised and discussed,
particularly in regards to archaic paper-based record keeping,
inappropriate contracting and management, and mistaken identities of
gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery.
I think we all agree that Arlington National Cemetery is an
unparalleled national treasure that serves a very unique mission. As
the preferred burial site for many of America's veterans and
dignitaries, including U.S. presidents, Supreme Court justices, and
many of those who died in the attack on September 11, 2001, these
hallowed grounds should be maintained and operated at the highest level
of excellence.
Today, we will be examining the recently issued report from the
Army Inspector General which includes 31 observations and 53
recommendations. On September 18, 2011, the Secretary of the Army, as
directed by P.L. 111-339, a law which outlines the required reports
regarding Arlington National Cemetery, also issued his assessment to
Congress of the DoD IG's recommendations and observations.
I am glad that we will be able to evaluate the findings in the
Secretary's report as well. More importantly, I am pleased that both
reports indicate that the mismanagement and dysfunction found during
the Army's original investigation in the summer of 2010 no longer
exist. However, I know that problems of the magnitude plaguing
Arlington in the past will not magically go away.
As such, I look forward to hearing more from our witnesses today
about the work that remains to ensure the proper operations,
management, and maintenance of this revered site. I also want to delve
further into the current reforms underway to make sure that we stay on
the right track of increased efficiency and efficacy.
I would like to thank our witnesses for reappearing before us
today. I commend the dedication that Ms. Kathryn A. Condon, the
Executive Director of the Army National Cemeteries Programs, has
brought with her, along with Mr. Pat Hallinan, the Superintendant
formerly with VA's National Cemetery Administration.
Thank you both for your hard work and leadership thus far. As you
re-organize, re-train and re-tool, I hope that you will continue in
this vein--our veterans and their loved ones deserve no less.
I yield back.
Prepared Statement of Major General William H. McCoy, USA,
Acting Inspector General, Department of the Army Inspector General
Agency (DAIG), U.S. Department of Defense
INTRODUCTION
Chairman Runyan, Ranking Member Davis, and distinguished Members of
the Committee, thank you for the invitation and opportunity to speak to
you today about Arlington National Cemetery. I became the Deputy
Inspector General in October 2008 and have also been serving as Acting
The Inspector General since 13 August 2010 when LTG Whitcomb retired.
During my time as Deputy and now Acting Inspector General, I have been
intimately involved in all efforts concerning Arlington National
Cemetery almost continuously since July 2009.
DAIG'S SPECIAL INSPECTION OF ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
The Inspector General Agency's involvement began in July 2009 when,
in discussion with the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works,
it was determined that there may be some significant management issues
at Arlington National Cemetery. The Inspector General recommended to
and received then-Secretary Geren's approval to conduct an inspection
of Arlington National Cemetery. The inspection assessed policy and
procedures for operation of the Cemetery; management, administration,
and coordination processes and training of personnel at Arlington; and
the effectiveness, coordination, and synergy of command and leadership
structures relating to other commands, staff elements and agencies
involved in the Cemetery's operations.
In November 2010, upon identification of other issues at Arlington,
The Inspector General obtained Secretary McHugh's approval to add two
more objectives to our inspection, one to assess information management
systems at ANC and another to assess contracting procedures at ANC. The
Inspector General also obtained Secretary McHugh's approval to conduct
an IG investigation into potential issues related to hostile work
environment, inappropriate hiring practices, and improper interment and
trans-interment of remains. Teams of Army IGs conducted both the
investigation and the inspection simultaneously.
LTG Whitcomb signed the completed reports on 9 June 2010. The
inspection report highlighted 76 deficiencies and made 101
recommendations for corrective action. Secretary McHugh approved the
inspection report on 8 July 2010.
ARMY DIRECTIVE 2010-04
On 10 June 2010, after reviewing the IG reports, Secretary McHugh
issued Army Directive 2010-04: ``Enhancing the Operation and Oversight
of Army National Cemeteries.'' The directive established the Army
National Cemeteries Program (ANCP) Executive Director position,
reporting directly to the Secretary. In his directive, Secretary McHugh
further tasked the Executive Director to immediately establish an
accountability baseline for all gravesites and inurnment niches at the
Cemetery. He further tasked agencies and organizations across the Army
to accomplish numerous actions to support the improvement of Cemetery
processes and procedures.
DAIG'S 2011 RE-NSPECTION OF ANCP AND ANC: PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES
The 2010 DAIG report recommended, and the Secretary approved, that
we conduct a 6-month interim review and a subsequent re-inspection of
Arlington National Cemetery. We completed the interim review in January
2011 and began the re-inspection in May 2011. Once Public Law 111-339
was published, the Secretary decided that our 2011 follow-up inspection
would form the basis of his report to your Committees. In contrast to
our 2010 inspection of ANC, which focused on the five objectives cited
above, the re-inspection this summer assessed how well Arlington
National Cemetery had corrected the deficiencies from last year's
report and how well the Army had complied with the Secretary's follow-
on directive. It also assessed outreach, information and support that
Arlington National Cemetery provided to family member inquiries
regarding possible burial discrepancies.
DAIG'S 2011 RE-INSPECTION OF ANCP AND ANC: KEY FINDINGS
Since the Secretary signed Army Directive 2010-04, the Executive
Director has led her staff and other Army stakeholders to make
significant improvements at Arlington, while still accomplishing the
Cemetery's daily mission. Every day at Arlington, in addition to the
Cemetery employees, ceremonial and band units from the Army, Navy,
Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard operate in the cemetery to
bury an average of 27 veterans and host seven public ceremonies.
Additionally each day an estimated 11,000 visitors tour the Cemetery
and seven public ceremonies were hosted. This drives home the fact that
neither corrective action nor future visioning are negotiable and both
are critical at Arlington, as the Services and the Cemetery executes
the mission, with dignity, compassion and professionalism every single
day. Neither are negotiable.
By way of comparison, the 2010 inspection report listed 76 findings
and made 101 recommendations. Sixty-one of those findings were
``deficiencies''; defined as serious deviations from an Army standard
warranting the attention of the Army's senior leadership. During this
follow-up inspection, there were no deficiencies noted; rather, we made
31 observations on the progress that has been made and the work still
to be done. This alone underscores the tremendous progress ANCP and the
Army have made in correcting the problems at Arlington.
Improvement of ANC's Organizational Culture and Climate. We found
that the new ANCP leadership and staff have made tremendous progress in
addressing the Cemetery's organizational culture and climate. Last year
we found that the Cemetery's previous leadership fostered an
``insular'' environment at the Cemetery; effectively disengaged from
much of the institutional Army. This insularity prevented the
sustainment of functional relationships with Army command and staff
elements that could provide support, resources and oversight. This
insularity contributed greatly to the mismanagement, impropriety, and
ineffectiveness uncovered at the Cemetery. Upon the establishment of
the Executive Director Position, the new Executive Director and her
staff immediately sought to make connections, and to collaborate
actively, with the Army commands, staff elements and agencies that
Secretary McHugh had directed to provide support to ANCP through Army
Directive 2010-04. In this way, the Executive Director eliminated any
significant vestiges of insularity in the Cemetery's culture and paved
the way for improvement in all aspects of ANC's administration,
operations, and maintenance. It is important to note that,
notwithstanding the recommendation in the 2010 report to delegate
responsibility for Arlington to a single command in the Army, Secretary
McHugh assumed personal responsibility for the Army's failure and for
ensuring the corrections. I believe a year later that this kind of
intense management and leadership was necessary as a forcing function
in order to make the kind of progress we recently witnessed during the
re-inspection.
Equally important, the Executive Director and Superintendent are
equally responsible for leading the effort to successfully transform
the Cemetery's organizational climate. We administered two Defense
Equal Opportunity Management Institute surveys to Cemetery employees--
one in January 2011 and one in June 2011. Both surveys reflect
improving morale and increasing organizational effectiveness in the
year since the Executive Director and new Superintendent assumed
leadership responsibility at Arlington National Cemetery. In the 5
months between the surveys, those who agreed that the overall health
and morale at Arlington was better than it was a year ago almost
doubled. The number of those who disagreed or neither agreed nor
disagreed with that sentiment dropped sharply. Six of seven Equal
Opportunity areas are now rated as organizational strengths with
significant improvement in command behavior to minorities reported by
employees. In organizational effectiveness areas, employee's trust in
the organization reflected large improvements between the January and
June surveys, and employees rate five of six areas of organizational
effectiveness as strengths. Sensing sessions conducted by inspectors
confirm survey findings. These radical improvements can be directly
attributed to the leadership style and approach of both the Executive
Director and the Superintendent.
Improved Information Technology and Processes. This summer,
inspectors observed that ANC now possesses a fully-functional
information technology architecture, enabled by current software
applications and hardware systems and supported by a comprehensive
service agreement with the Army's Information Technology Agency (ITA).
Starting in December 2010, Arlington partnered with ITA to route all
incoming calls to ITA's Consolidated Customer Service Center (CCSC) at
Fort Detrick, MD. This process significantly improved customer service
and enabled a tiered response system which freed Cemetery personnel to
focus on funeral scheduling while ensuring callers inquiring about
tourism-related questions were assisted promptly and efficiently by
CCSC employees. Additionally, the CCSC provided Arlington's Interment
Services Branch the full capabilities of its Remedy tracking system.
For example, every call made to the CCSC is now captured in a digital
file and assigned a Remedy case number in the CCSC's database. This
allows collaborative resolution by CCSC personnel and Cemetery
Representatives from the Internment Services Branch. Cemetery
leadership periodically reviews the CCSC data and applies measures of
effectiveness to assess staff performance.
Other improvements to Arlington's information technology
architecture include the replacement of antiquated and vulnerable
computer hardware and applications identified in the 2010 report with
the latest the Army can provide. From now through Fiscal Year 2012, the
Cemetery and the Veterans Administration are partnering to integrate
Interment Service System (ISS) and the Burial Operations Support
System; this enhancement will save significant staff hours within the
Interment Service Branch. The Cemetery has partnered with the Army's
Chief Information Officer and Army Data Center-Fairfield to provide
Arlington with a digital ``Research Tool'' for digitizing burial
records and headstone photographs. This tool is enabling the Executive
Director's Gravesite Accountability Task Force to re-establish an
accountability baseline of each gravesite and inurnment niche at
Arlington and already assists Cemetery Representatives in generating
digital records for new interments and inurnments. This digitization of
all records should be complete in early 2012. Finally, by February
2012, this digitized database of burial records will automatically
update a new digital Cemetery map using the Army's most current
geospatial mapping program; replacing the paper maps that contributed
to the discrepancies that were the impetus for the initial media
reports of mismanagement at Arlington. Finally, the Executive Director
is establishing an operations center to ensure situation awareness of
all current and future Cemeterial and ceremonial operations at
Arlington and facilitate the liaison and sharing of real-time
information with Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force headquarters
in the National Capital Region that support the Cemetery every day.
Improvement in Compliance with Army Information Assurance Focus
Areas. During the DAIG's Information Assurance (IA) compliance
inspection of Arlington in 2010, ANC did not meet the Army standard in
any of the 12 of 14 IA functional areas inspected (two functional areas
did not apply at that time). In those 12 functional areas, 57 serious
information assurance deficiencies were identified. The Cemetery's
information technology architecture was grossly outmoded and
vulnerable; and the Cemetery's workforce was untrained in these
critical areas and understaffed in qualified information assurance
personnel. A follow-on Army compliance inspection of the Cemetery was
conducted from 20-27 June 2011. Compared to last year's inspection,
where none of the applicable functional areas met the standard,
Arlington met Army standards in all applicable information assurance
functional areas during the most recent inspection. ANC's improved
information assurance readiness can be is attributed to a strong
tenant-service provider relationship, leadership focus, and ANC's
proactive staff. Today, I can report to you Arlington is one of the
best organizations in the Army for compliance with information
assurance requirements.
Improvement in Acquisition and Contracting. During our first
inspection, we found the Cemetery's procurement and contracting actions
were not in compliance with Army, Defense Department, and Federal
acquisition rules and regulations. Untrained and unqualified personnel
on the Cemetery's staff were developing requirements and committing
funds to contracts without appropriate oversight. This summer, our team
reviewed 17 contracts from the Mission Installation Contracting
Command's (MICC) Fort Meyer and Fort Belvoir offices and eight
contracts from the Army Corps of Engineer's Baltimore District. Most of
the MICC contracts were recently completed service contracts which gave
an indication of current performance. In our reviews, we focused on
Arlington's pre-award compliance, teaming between Arlington and the
supporting contracting agencies, requirements packages, and the
training of contracting officer representatives and their execution and
oversight of contracts. Finally, we looked at their management controls
and acquisition processes and procedures. Today, the Cemetery's
contracting actions are now properly aligned, based on scope of work,
with either the MICC or the Corps of Engineers. Furthermore, both the
Contracting Command and the Corps of Engineers are providing support
teams to the Cemetery and properly providing the oversight necessary to
ensure that quality contracts are produced and being monitored in
execution. ANC support teams subject new acquisitions to rigorous
requirements determination, pre-award compliance checks, and contract
packet reviews for quality assurance. Active ANC contracts are now in
accordance with applicable rules and regulations as a result of the
support, oversight, and resources provided by the Army's appropriate
contracting commands and procurement support agencies to the Cemetery.
This improvement is due in no small part to the emphasis the Executive
Director places on proper contracting practices.
Budget Formulation and Execution. Arlington is funded separately by
the Congress through a MilCon/Veteran Affairs Related Agencies funding
line item. The funds the Cemetery receives are `no-year' funds. The
2010 Inspection report found the budget and appropriation structure for
Arlington was exacerbated by the lack of organizational command and
control. This structure also limited the ability of the Secretary of
the Army to shift resources to the Cemetery if needed. The Secretary's
2010 directive directed the Executive Director to realign budget
oversight and execution along more standard Army practices. The
Executive Director and her team now work closely with the
Administrative Assistant (OAA), the Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Financial Management and Controls, and the General Counsel to improve
oversight of Arlington's budget formulation and execution. The
Executive Director's decision to transition Arlington to the General
Fund Enterprise Business System, providing her and the Army full
visibility on the Cemetery's expenditures, has been critical to turning
around perceived budget shortfalls. This transition enabled the
Executive Director and her staff to reconcile unobligated funds from
the last several years, something that had not been previously
accomplished. As a result, during our inspection we found more than
$15M in un-liquidated obligations generated in the context of faulty
contracting actions had been recouped and will be applied to future ANC
budgets.
The Army Has Effectively Executed and Complied with AD 2010-04.
During this summer's re-inspection, inspectors found that ANCP and Army
commands, staff elements and agencies have complied with Army Directive
2010-04 and effectively executed the tasks Secretary McHugh assigned
them to enhance the operations and oversight of the Army National
Cemeteries Program. Furthermore, the Gravesite Accountability Task
Force is currently on track to complete its task of establishing an
accountability baseline for all gravesites and inurnment niches with in
Army National Cemeteries. This baseline will inform the report being
provided to the Congress no later than 22 December 2011 under the
provisions of Public Law 111-339.
The Army Secretariat and Cemetery's new leadership have initiated
several other actions which will provide for longer term improvements.
These include changes to the Army policy to document the jurisdictional
realignment of the Army National Cemeteries program, the creation of a
new public affairs policy for the Cemeteries, the establishment of more
effective oversight of ANC's budget formulation and execution, the
review of ANC contracting in detail, and the establishment of the Army
National Cemeteries Advisory Commission. To ensure steady progress in
correcting ANC's deficiencies between the 2010 and 2011 IG inspections,
Secretary McHugh directed a series of external reviews. These included
an interim review by the DAIG, and contract reviews by the Assistant
Secretary of the Army for Logistics and Technology and the Army Audit
Agency. The Army's Chief Information Officer was directed to conduct a
complete review of information technology systems and applications. The
Army's Force Management Agency and Manpower Analysis Agency were also
directed to review Arlington's force structure and make
recommendations. All of these directives were properly accomplished.
These reviews combined with our 2011 follow-up inspection have ensured
Arlington National Cemetery is receiving the necessary external
oversight and assessment. It is clear to me that in adhering to
Secretary McHugh's directive, the Army has effectively set the
conditions for continued and enduring mission accomplishment to
standard at Arlington.
Effective Outreach and Support to Families Regarding Burial
Discrepancies. During this summer's inspection, we found that the
ANCP's leadership and staff were professional, compassionate, and
supportive in providing information, support, and outreach to Families
of interred and inurned veterans regarding inquiries regarding possible
burial discrepancies at Arlington. Immediately upon assuming her
position, the ANCP Executive Director established a hotline at
Arlington to respond to burial inquiries and developed a tiered system
to ensure that proper efforts were made to address family member
concerns. In several cases, even though documents confirmed the
locations of the deceased, the Cemetery supported family requests for
physical verification in order to fully satisfy their concerns. To
date, the Cemetery has received almost 1,300 inquires from family
members. Since the hotline was established, in all but thirteen cases
(which include the eight urns with cremated remains found together in
one unmarked grave in October 2010), the Cemetery was able to assure
family members that there were no discrepancies regarding the burial
locations of their loved ones. In the 13 cases of substantiated burial
discrepancies, the Cemetery worked closely with each family concerned
and invited their participation (at Army expense, when required) in
correcting the error and correcting and updating records accordingly.
In the case of eight urns found in a single grave, only four were able
to be positively identified. The Cemetery has reinterred the
unidentified urns as ``Unknown'' remains, with the full dignity and
respect they provide at any funeral service. To ensure that these
inexcusable breaches of procedure are prevented in the future, the new
Executive Director and Superintendent have thoroughly revised the
Cemetery's procedures for interring and disinterring veterans to ensure
safeguards exist to prevent this kind of behavior in the future. The
Executive Director and Superintendent published a 20 June 2011 policy
memorandum titled Assurance of Proper Casket/Urn Placement. This policy
addresses procedures the Cemetery staff must apply, beginning with the
intake of the burial request through interment, specifies training and
accountability measures, and provides guidance for correcting the
misplacement of casketed or cremated remains. In each step, ANC Field
Operations Supervisors are required to physically confirm preparation
and closure of graves and countersign a ``dig slip'' to verify that
remains are interned or inurned in the correct gravesite. The
Cemetery's General Foreman then inspects the process to ensure no
deviation from the standard. The Cemetery continuously trains the
workforce on these procedures and provides consistent, direct
supervision. Because of these improvements, Arlington has experienced
no burial discrepancies in the last year.
DAIG'S 2011 RE-INSPECTION OF ANCP AND ANC: KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
While the Army and ANCP staff have made great strides in correcting
deficiencies noted in the DAIG's 2010 inspection, fulfilled Secretary
McHugh's guidance issued in Army Directive 2010-04 and supported
Families regarding burial errors, there is still more to do at
Arlington. In this recent report, we presented Secretary McHugh with 53
recommendations designed to enhance the progress made to this point. A
description of some of our key recommendations follows.
Policy Documentation. Army Directive 2010-04 established immediate
oversight mechanisms to improve information technology, information
assurance, contracting, engineering support, and force structure. In
his directive, the Secretary established the Executive Director as the
proponent for all policies related to the Army National Cemeteries
Program. In this capacity, the Executive Director has been working with
the Army Staff in updating the rule to the Code of Federal Regulations
which applies to Arlington National Cemetery.
Additionally, the Executive Director is now working closely with
the Headquarters, Department of the Army Staff to begin updating AR
290-5. We recommended in the 2011 report that the Executive Director
should incorporate requirements for long-term, robust and continuous
oversight processes and mechanisms in a revision of Army Regulation
290-5. We also recommended that the Executive Director should revise
Department of the Army Pamphlet 290-5, Administration, Operation,
Maintenance of Army Cemeteries, to provide all 28 Army post cemeteries
with sound, authoritative, and current guidance on standardized
processes and procedures for cemetery operations. As part of the
revision of this Pamphlet, we also recommended that any policies,
processes, and procedures peculiar to Arlington be removed from the DA
Pamphlet and instead be published in Arlington National Cemetery's
standing operating procedures.
Creation of a Multi-Service Policy for Arlington. We recommended a
multi-Service policy for Arlington. Servicemembers and veterans of all
five Services (and Family members) are eligible for burial at Army
National Cemeteries. Excluding Servicemembers who are killed in combat
operations, wait times for funerals and burial are increasing and vary
by Service. For example, in June 2010, it took an average of 74 days
(from the day eligibility was determined) before a deceased veteran was
interred/inurned with full honors at ANC, compared to 87 days in June
2011, with a range of delay of almost 30 days between Services. This
disparity in wait times is attributed to the lack of a multi-Service
policy for interment/inurnment honors and the different procedures
employed by the Services to manage ceremonial and band units. The
increase in wait times is due to the more accurate tracking of calls by
the call center which created a more accurate demand signal for burials
at Arlington than was being obtained under the previous administration.
Under the previous system, Arlington lacked even a voice mail system
for callers who were not able to reach a live person on the phone. Many
of these families ultimately gave up having their loved ones buried at
Arlington and sought arrangements elsewhere and the Cemetery never knew
about their attempts. With the new call center, callers are assured of
getting through to Arlington and getting a case opened to have their
loved ones interred or inured, and therefore are more accepting of the
delay because they know they will receive services. As trust in
confidence has been restored, the true demand signal for burial at
Arlington has increased, thereby increasing wait times. However,
because of the lack of a multi-Service policy for interment/inurnment
honors and the different procedures employed by the Services to manage
ceremonial and band units, we have recommended the Army Secretariat
engage the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) to develop common
policy, processes and procedures for honors and cemetery support
operations that apply to all the Armed Services.
Long Term Command, Control, and Oversight of Army National
Cemeteries. The Army must sustain the progress made at Arlington and
prevent the Cemetery from returning to the insular organization it once
was. We note that the Executive Director and her staff have
fundamentally transitioned the control mechanisms and oversight of
Cemetery operations. However, to ensure this continues in the long-
term, we recommend the Department of the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, G-
3/5/7 provide Secretary McHugh options on how to best integrate, long-
term, the Army National Cemeteries Program's command and control,
organizational alignment and support relationships in accordance with
established Army organizational structure (as a Direct Reporting Unit
or Field Operating Agency, for example). We believe establishing this
type of organizational identity and standard command and control
structure for ANC will better align long-term responsibilities and
oversight.
Inquiry into Wait Times and Cemetery Lifespan. During our
inspection, we found that interments and inurnments at Arlington are
increasing each year and that wait times at Arlington continue to
increase. This may result in the Cemetery reaching its capacity before
current projections. We recommended the Secretary of the Army request
the Army National Cemeteries Advisory Commission, when convened, to
examine the causes and effects of increasing wait times and increasing
demand, and then make recommendations to contend with these issues.
CONCLUSION
As our inspection report indicates, the progress made at Arlington
since last June is a ``good news'' story and shows a significant turn-
around in performance at the Cemetery. Our inspection team found that
the ANCP Executive Director, Superintendent, and staff are
systematically correcting the deficiencies enumerated in the 2010 DAIG
inspection report. As Secretary McHugh directed, Army agencies and
organizations have completed (or are in the process of completing) the
tasks specifically assigned to them in Army Directive 2010-04. Finally,
the inspection team also found that ANCP's efforts at providing
outreach, information and support to Family members regarding burial
discrepancies were professional and supportive. Simply put, the
mismanagement that was found at the Cemetery in 2010 no longer exists.
The improvements observed and reported by the DAIG validate the
Secretary's approach to restoring the processes, systems, and
management we found to be missing at Arlington in 2010. This strategy--
executed passionately and diligently by the Cemeteries new leadership
and staff, with the support of the Army, the Defense Department, other
Federal agencies, and Congress--have set the conditions for continued
improvement and ultimate success.
With this good news comes a realization that more hard work lays
before us. The leadership and staff of the Army National Cemeteries
Program must continue to complete the painstaking work required to
update the Army's relevant policy and procedural documents. The
gravesite accountability baseline must be completed accurately and on
time. The efficiencies and tools built and employed in the critical
effort to establish gravesite accountability must be applied to the
processes and systems currently at use at Arlington to avoid any future
loss of fidelity. The Cemetery must complete the enhancement of its
internal processes, protocols, and systems, and document these
enhancements to ensure future effectiveness. Finally, the Army must
optimize and institutionalize the support and oversight it provides its
National Cemeteries and apply what it has learned and to all
cemeteries, great and small, under Army purview.
As the Army's Inspector General, I know that restoring Arlington
remains a priority for the Secretary. In reflecting on the observations
our agency has made during the many months of inspecting Arlington, I
am confident that the Army National Cemeteries Program and the Army
will succeed in this great endeavor.
__________
FOUO
1 September 2011
Inspection Summary
Inspection of the Army National Cemeteries Program
and Arlington National Cemetery
What We Did:
From 2 May to 5 August 2011, the Department of the Army Inspector
General (DAIG) conducted a reinspection of the Army National Cemeteries
Program (ANCP) and Arlington National Cemetery (ANC). The reinspection
and this report served to assess and document compliance with, and the
implementation and effect of, the approved recommendations of the
DAIG's inspection report conducted on 9 June 2010. With a view to
enabling the Secretary of the Army's report to Congress, as mandated by
Public Law 111-339, dated 22 December 2010, the report also reflects
findings and recommendations regarding the implementation of Army
Directive (AD) 2010-04, dated 10 June 2010, and the review of ANC
practices to provide information, outreach and support to families of
individuals buried at ANC regarding procedures to detect and correct
burial errors. The inspection team identified 31 observations, 2 other
matters and made 53 recommendations.
What We Found:
The ANCP and ANC staffs are implementing the
recommendations from last year's inspection report. Significant
progress has been made in all aspects of the Cemetery's performance,
accountability and modernization.
ANC and other Army agencies have executed their assigned
tasks effectively, resulting in significant improvements at both Army
National Cemeteries over the past 13 months and setting conditions for
future success. Most critically, ANCP is on track to complete an
accountability baseline for all gravesites and inurnment niches at ANC
to support the Secretary's report to Congress on 22 December 2011.
ANC's efforts to provide information, as well as,
outreach and support to families regarding burial discrepancies were
professional and supportive.
Wait times are increasing for all types of ANC interment
I inurnment services except for servicemembers killed-in-action.
Requests for burial at ANC also are increasing and, at the current
rate, ANC will be required to expand its capability to conduct in-
ground burials before 2035.
What We Recommend:
The Secretary of the Army direct specified Headquarters, Department
of the Army Staff elements and Army Field Operating Agencies to execute
tasks intended to sustain and enhance the progress being made at ANC.
Prepared Statement of Kathryn A. Condon, Executive Director,
National Cemeteries Program, Office of the Secretary of the Army,
Department of the Army, U.S. Department of Defense
Executive Summary
To the credit of the leadership and the workforce at Arlington
National Cemetery, the DAIG report indicates that significant progress
has been made in all aspects of the cemetery's performance,
accountability and modernization. The following bullets demonstrate the
progress that has been, and continues to be made to restore the
Nation's confidence in Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).
Workforce and Training: ANC has increased the end
strength by 50 percent filling positions in key areas to efficiently
run its complex missions. A priority for ANC leadership is training the
workforce to industry best practices, standards and measures, as well
as implementing standards operations and an internal assessment
program.
Accountability: Restoring faith and confidence of the
American people starts with demonstrating a greater sense of
accountability in all aspects of Arlington National Cemetery.
Leveraging the Gravesite Accountability Task Force is the method ANC is
using to establish an accountability baseline of all gravesites and
inurnment niches. The implementation of the General Fund Enterprise
Business System (GFEBS) allows Arlington to be fiscally fully
transparent and provide fiscal stewardship of all funds. Validating ANC
contract requirements and recompeting all service contracts reduced the
number of total service contracts from 26 to 16. Arlington also has
instituted disciplined processes with oversight and direction to
enhance procurement operations.
Customer Focus: The care families deserve in their time
of need requires a prompt, compassionate and professional engagement
from ANC. As a result of family member inquires, we have conducted 16
physical gravesite verifications. Additionally, to streamline all
customer interactions, ANC implemented the Consolidated Call Center and
launched a new user friendly Web site allowing us to communicate in a
relevant way with our stakeholders.
Advisory Commission: As directed by the Secretary of the
Army, the Army National Cemeteries Commission is on track to hold its
first meeting this fall. This Federal Advisory Commission will provide
an independent and holistic look at the future of Arlington and how
best the Army and the Department of Defense can maintain the heritage
of these scared burial grounds.
Sustaining ANC: ANC has accelerated the construction of
Columbarium Court 9, which will add 20,000 niches for inurnment
services. Expansion plans for Arlington include 31 acres of undeveloped
land known as the Millennium Project and 42 acres that will come with
the Navy Annex property which will be acquired at the end of the
calendar year.
ANC is dedicated to ensuring a place for the public to Honor,
Remember and Explore the rich history of this great Nation. The
cemetery had increased--and continues to work harder--its capacity to
reach every generation in a relevant and compelling way.
__________
Mr. Chairman and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee, thank
you for the opportunity to provide an update on progress at Arlington
National Cemetery.
INTRODUCTION
On June 10, 2010 circumstances at ANC came to light that degraded
the trust and confidence of the American public. As you know, Mr.
Chairman, widespread reports caused us all extreme concern regarding
the level of standards and the quality of care taken to inter our
Nation's veterans and their loved ones at Arlington Cemetery.
After conducting an intensive review of Cemetery operations, a
salient fact emerged. The main contributor to the state of Arlington at
that time can be described as a lack of standards, a reliance on a
number of ineffective business and operational practices and
ineffective implementation of technology solutions. The organization
still used typewriters to record critical information about veterans'
interment services and index cards held the record of burial for those
laid to rest at Arlington. The skills of the workforce were misaligned
to organizational needs and training was inadequate to properly and
effectively perform assigned duties. Perhaps most important: effective
rigor was not in place to maintain a standard of accountability
befitting our veterans and their families. We have addressed this lack
of standards and we are meeting the accountability challenge. Arlington
now is on the path to meet the high quality standards expected of our
Nation's preeminent military cemetery.
Before addressing the Inspector General Report, it is important to
recognize and acknowledge the courage and leadership of the Secretary
of the Army, the Hon. John McHugh, who recognized the challenges and
took bold steps. Secretary McHugh brought to bear the resources
required from across the United States Army and Department of Defense
to make meaningful corrections. We are grateful and honored that
Secretary McHugh has placed his trust in our leadership and abilities
to right the wrongs at Arlington.
PROGRESS AT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
To be sure, Mr. Chairman, we have made tremendous progress at
Arlington National Cemetery. Although much has been accomplished, we
have much work to do. Yet, it is important that we recognize the
diligent efforts put forth by the workforce each day. When we arrived
at the cemetery 15 month ago, we found a workforce that was demoralized
and lacked direction. Today that is no longer true.
Additionally Mr. Chairman, we found capability gaps in key areas of
the Cemetery staff that needed to be addressed to move forward. The
first gap filled to rebuild the workforce was hiring one of the most
experienced, knowledgeable cemetery administrators in the land, Mr.
Patrick Hallinan, as the ANC Superintendent. His 35 years in the
industry set the pace for excellence by personally training the
cemetery operations workforce to effectively accomplish the
extraordinary mission at Arlington.
Over the past year, we filled positions in other key areas
important to efficiently run the complex missions of Arlington National
Cemetery. We increased workforce end strength by nearly 50 percent and
implemented a new organizational structure to manage the new augmented
workforce. The organization already has made significant and measurable
improvement and we will continue to evolve to meet/exceed the
expectations of our many stakeholders.
We continue to implement a comprehensive training program for our
workforce. Starting with a six-step chain of custody process,
implemented by Superintendent Hallinan, the staff is focused on
maintaining positive identification of remains during pre-burial
activities and ensures positive identification of remains when
disinterment is required. These identification practices apply to all
types of receptacles for remains. Additionally, to aid with the
oversight of fiscal stewardship, several members of the workforce have
successfully completed contracting officer representative, regulatory
ethics, and government purchase card program training.
We have stood up the Gravesite Accountability Task Force; a joint
military-civilian team focused on driving greater accountability and
restoring faith and confidence of the American people. The actions of
the Task Force will meet and exceed requirements of Army Directive
2010-04 and Public Law 111-339. The Accountability Task Force has
digitally photographed 100 percent of the markers and niche covers and
initiated a digital scan of all supporting paper records. We have
leveraged Army technology experts, notably at the Army Data Center
Fairfield, California, now named The Army Analytics Group, to create
the tools necessary to review and electronically cross reference all of
our records dating back to the Civil War. Task Force personnel work
daily reviewing every record and assembling a single authoritative data
base for Arlington National Cemetery. The business processes built by
the Gravesite Accountability Task Force are now the day-to-day
standards and practices which the workforce applies to ensure the
validation process is sustained as we move forward.
We have resolved the 211 map discrepancies identified in the 2010
Inspector General report over the past year. As well, as a result of
family member inquiries, we have conducted 16 physical gravesite
verifications.
Mr. Chairman, the Army has made a tremendous leap in effective use
of technology at Arlington, bringing the cemetery into compliance with
information assurance requirements established by the Army's Chief
Information Officer. We have replaced the paper records of the past,
with a digital system that uses industry best practices in database
management. To schedule interments, our team is leveraging a state-of-
the-art system that ensures visibility for all appropriate stakeholders
and an ability to share information like never before. We have
initiated a Geospatial Application Development initiative at Arlington.
This will form a ``Google-maps'' like information system that enables
the Cemetery to better manage the grounds, grave and niche assignments
and provide street directions and site locations to our guests.
Arlington has embarked on an all-encompassing effort to develop
baseline enterprise architecture. This formal review will capture all
business processes and dependencies and drive the development of
integrated solutions. By formally documenting all requirements,
information technology can be applied in a consistent way that
eliminates redundancy while increasing availability and most
importantly, accuracy of cemetery data.
Most recently, we launched a new Arlington National Cemetery Web
site that rivals the looks and functionality of any Web site on the
Internet. I encourage you to review the new Web site and see firsthand
how we communicate in a more relevant way with our stakeholders.
We have ensured fiscal accountability and stewardship through the
implementation of the General Fund Enterprise Business System (GFEBS)
to ensure full visibility on all cemetery expenditures. GFEBS allows
Arlington to be fully transparent and provide fiscal stewardship of all
funds expenditures, accurately capturing the true cost to operate this
national shrine on an annual basis.
As you know, Mr. Chairman, Arlington encountered challenges in the
area of contracting resulting in the improper management of millions-
of-taxpayer dollars. Over the last year, we have validated Arlington's
contract requirements and re-competed all service contracts. In so
doing, we reduced the number of total service contracts from 26 to 16.
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY: MOVING FORWARD
While we have had to look back over the past 15 months to affect
meaningful change at Arlington, we also have set the pace for the
future of these hallowed grounds.
In late August, the Army National Cemeteries Commission, as
directed by Secretary McHugh, had eight of nine nominees approved for
appointment by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. This Federal
Advisory Commission will provide an independent and holistic look at
the future of Arlington and how best the Army and the Department of
Defense can continue the legacy of dignified services on these hallowed
burial grounds for our Nation's veterans and their families while
preserving the rich history of the 628 acres nestled along the rolling
hills across the Potomac River from our Nation's capital.
We have directed the development of a revised Master Plan. As part
of that effort, the cemetery has put in place a plan for interring and
inurning remains beyond 2016, the year it presently is projected to run
out of above ground inurnment space. To meet burial needs for all
veterans, we have accelerated plans for erecting an additional 20,000-
niche columbarium to extend above ground burial space to last until
2024. Additionally, we re-evaluated and developed new options for the
planned development associated with the Millennium Project, which also
provides for additional above and below ground burial space from
undeveloped land from adjoining Joint Base Myer Henderson Hall. The
United States Army Corps of Engineers' Norfolk District is applying
best practices to determine the most effective and efficient cemeterial
use of this land as well as the Navy Annex property to be acquired at
the end of this calendar year.
Arlington National Cemetery is a place available for every
generation to Honor, Remember, and Explore the depths of the creation
of this great Nation and the heroes which have made incredible
sacrifices for freedom. We have greatly increased our capacity to reach
every generation through our new Web site which veterans, family
members and children will find engaging, user friendly, and
informative. We want all to explore the cemetery's rich history, to
touch the final resting place of their loved ones who have sacrificed
for our Nation's freedoms, and to enjoy the landscape of our Nation's
capital. Nowhere else in the world can one find the magnificent social
and military history of the Civil War, witness first-hand our Nation's
reverence for our war dead at the Tomb of the Unknowns, and memorialize
significant National events such as space shuttle tragedies and the
attacks of 9/11. We owe our veterans, their families and all future
generations a full accounting at Arlington National Cemetery and that
is exactly what we intend to provide. We look to the future to make
Arlington a place to Honor, Remember, Explore.
CONCLUSION
Conducting military burial services with dignity, honor and
precision has been a part of the fabric of Arlington National Cemetery
since its very first burial more than 150 years ago. Those at Arlington
who lay to rest our national heroes and their families have always had
a special, unbreakable bond with the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and
Airmen of this Nation's fighting forces. During the average of 27
services per day at Arlington, they lay to rest one of their own. We
are proud of the work we have accomplished over the last 15 months to
bring all aspects of Arlington in line with the rich, proud and
dignified traditions befitting our Nation's military heroes.
Thank you for your attention today and for allowing me to share our
progress to date. I look forward to answering your questions.
Statement of Ian de Planque, Deputy Director, National Legislative
Commission, The American Legion
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee:
The hallowed ground of Arlington National Cemetery, a little over
600 acres of northern Virginia hillside, has stood since the Civil War
as the crown jewel of reverence for fallen warriors, the men and women
who have served this Nation in peacetime and war in the air, on land
and at sea. Arlington National Cemetery is the epicenter of a country's
reverence for these servicemembers. This is the sacred ground of the
Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers, and John F. Kennedy's Eternal Flame.
Over the last several years, the American public has learned the
manner in which past management of these grounds led to a state of
disorder, disrepair and disrespect that was clearly disgraceful. There
is very little to be served by reciting a litany of the past failures.
Rather it is far more important to acknowledge the intervening
successes and recognize the remaining challenges.
Last summer, in June of 2010, the transition of management began.
Kathryn Condon took up the post of Executive Director of the Army
National Cemeteries Program, and other changes would follow. Director
Condon and her team have been tireless and honest, sometimes brutally
so, in the pursuit of righting this sinking ship. The American Legion
applauds Director Condon for her forthright efforts to correct these
errors.
In Washington, it is not unheard of to sweep unpleasant truths out
of the public eye. Facts which reflect poorly upon an organization or
program are recast with new spin. It's almost unheard of to admit to
shortcomings and failings. Given the preoccupation with self-
preservation, the candor from the new management team over the past
year has been refreshing. This administration has not shied from hard
truths; they have instead met them head on.
The news coming from the cemetery was seldom good, and often
horrifying, but it was also honest. America learned of mislabeled
remains, and bodies of our Nation's fallen heroes buried in the wrong
locations. This was not some trivial matter thought to have occurred
once or twice, but perhaps in thousands of locations. Cemetery staff,
when questioned by incoming management regarding standard procedure
manuals for burials and plot alignment, admitted no such written
records existed, and work had been handed down by word of mouth.
Electronic records did not exist; information was stored on index
cards. As anyone who has spent even an hour in the armed forces will
tell you, military operations succeed largely due to rigid adherence to
standard operating procedures. Arlington Cemetery had none of these
standard operating procedures, only a collection of anecdotal practices
likely to vary from one person to the next.
Perhaps the only thing more eye-opening than the litany of prior
failings at the cemetery was the willingness of new management to dig
deep enough to find all of the errors and begin plans to set them
aright.
Over a year later, Arlington Cemetery is far from fixed, but it is
on the road to recovery. The American Legion believes it is important
to call attention to the hard work and dedication of this staff because
it is far outside the norm for business as usual in Washington. In
government, all too often when problems surface, they are swept under a
rug in the hopes a distracted public will soon forget and move on to
the next issue of outrage.
The willingness of Director Condon and her staff to meet these
issues openly, with candor and sensitivity, yet still with unflinching
honesty, is worthy of high praise. The behavior of these individuals
should be an example to the rest of the Federal Government in how to
behave when you let the public down. They do not make excuses. They do
not make empty promises. They roll up their sleeves, humbly tell you
they are sorry for past actions and are willing to make things right,
and then they go about doing just that.
Whether the Army retains the ultimate ongoing responsibility of
managing, operating, and maintaining Arlington National Cemetery and
the U.S. Soldiers' and Airmen's Home National Cemetery remains to be
seen. The American Legion has made clear our position that this
responsibility would best be placed under the auspices of the National
Cemetery Administration and their long track record of operating the
Nation's 131 national cemeteries. Under such reorganization, of course
the ceremonial duties would be preserved as the domain of the Army
through the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, ``The Old Guard.'' The American
Legion believes the responsibilities of ``The Old Guard,'' which
include conducting military ceremonies, manning the 24-hour vigil at
the Tomb of the Unknowns, and being the provider of military funeral
escorts at Arlington, should never change, as a result of any
reorganization associated with Arlington National Cemetery.
Each and every agency of the Federal Government is charged with a
mission. For the Army, that mission is providing for the Nation's
defense. For the National Cemetery Administration that mission is to
provide dignified burial for military veterans and their families and
to maintain our Nation's military cemeteries as the national shrines we
expect them to be. While The American Legion believes the U.S. Army is
certainly capable of executing duties outside those most basic to
providing for the national defense with honor and success, we do not
believe there is reason to call upon them to do so when there is a body
such as NCA capable of meeting those needs.
We cannot escape the past of Arlington. The Army asked to be given
the chance to erase the dark stain upon their honor and through the
efforts of the current administration they have done so. Every day the
men and women who work to restore Arlington to its unimpeachable ideal
bring honor to the Army, and most importantly to the men and women they
serve; the interred remains of our fallen. The American Legion applauds
the efforts and results of those who have worked so hard to turn
Arlington back to the proper path. While the destination of that path
has yet to be determined, it can at least be said those responsible for
shepherding this sacred place of honor down that path are doing so with
the respect and dedication needed.
Statement of Reserve Officers Association of the United States and
Reserve Enlisted Association of the United States
INTRODUCTION--Reserves are part of the Total Force
Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, the Reserve Officers
Association (ROA) and the Reserve Enlisted Association (REA) would like
to thank the Subcommittee for the opportunity to submit testimony. ROA
and REA applaud the ongoing efforts by Congress to address issues
facing veterans and serving members such as veteran status, mental
health assessments, tax exemptions, and claims processing.
Though contingency operations in Afghanistan and Iraq are expected
to drawdown currently there are still high levels of mobilizations and
deployments, and many of these outstanding citizen soldiers, sailors,
airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen have put their civilian careers on
hold while they serve their country in harm's way. As we have learned,
they share the same risks and their counterparts in the Active
Components on the battlefield. Recently we passed the 800,000th mark
for the number of Reserve and Guard servicemembers who have been
activated since Post-9/11. More than 275,000 have been mobilized two or
more times. While the United States is creating a new generation of
combat veterans that come from its Reserve Components (RC), Arlington
policies remain pre-September 11, 2001. We can't ignore the benefits
that they are entitled or overlook their selfless service to their
country
DISCUSSION--not all Reserve warriors are entitled to Arlington Burials
ROA and REA have long supported the concept of ``total force.''
National Guard and Reserve members deserve parity in benefits as they
both backfill for, and serve alongside members of the Active component.
With the Nation at war in two theaters, the Reserve Component has
played a major role in the success of the volunteer armed forces, with
Reserve Component members who been killed in the line of duty being
honored with burial eligibility at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC).
ROA maintains that this eligibility criteria needs to be expanded.
Given that over 800,000 National Guard and Reserve servicemembers
have answered their Nations call to serve on active duty for both home
land defense and overseas contingency operations, it is ironic that by
returning to Selective Reserve status, they are no longer eligible for
burial at ANC unless they have been decorated with a Purple Heart, a
Medal of Valor, a Silver Star or higher.
Qualifying for retirement with 20 years of satisfactory Federal
service is not enough either. National Guard and Reserve members must
be retired in pay to be burial eligible.
ROA supports in-ground burial eligibility for:
Any Reserve Component member who has served on active
duty honorably in a combat or hazardous duty zone, but who has
not been killed in the line of duty.
National Guard and Reservists who are killed in the
line of duty whether on Active Duty for Training (ADT), Active
Duty for Special Work (ADSW) for less than 30 days, or
Individual Duty Training (IDT).
Deceased gray-area retirees, if entitled to
retirement pay under Title 10.
Spouses, surviving spouses, or dependent children of
any group of eligible National Guard and Reserve members.
Codifying the Rules for Interment in Arlington National Cemetery
In regard to the rules for interment in ANC, ROA continues to
support the codification of all the rules governing access to ANC. ROA
strongly recommends that the Committee take up the issue of the overall
codification of the rules governing ANC burial at their earliest
opportunity
Background
Currently, ``gray-area'' retirees, who have retired from the
National Guard or Reserve but are under the age of 60, as well as
current Guard and Reserve servicemembers who die while conducting their
training periods, are ineligible for burial at ANC, while their active
duty counterparts are eligible under similar circumstances.
The duties of the National Guard and Reserve, which include pilots,
combat warriors, elite Special Forces, military police and numerous
other vital MOS roles, are assuming risks in training for their
missions. This training is performed outside of active duty.
Under Army regulations, 32 CRF 553.15, the persons specified below,
whose last period of active duty in the Armed Forces ended honorably,
are eligible for in-ground burial at Arlington National Cemetery:
1. Any active duty member of the Armed Forces, except those
servicing on active duty for training purposes only.
2. Any veteran retired from active military service with the
Armed Forces.
3. Any veteran who is retired from the Reserves is eligible
upon reaching the age of 60 and who is drawing retired pay, and
who served a period of active duty (other than for training).
4. Any former member of the Armed Forces separated honorably
prior to October 1, 1949, for medical reasons with a 30 percent
or greater disability rating effect on the day of discharge.
5. Any former member of the Armed Forces awarded one of the
following decorations: Medal of Honor, Distinguished Service
Cross (Air Force Cross or Navy Cross), Distinguished Service
Medal, Silver Star, or Purple Heart.
6. The current and any former President of the United States.
7. Any former member of the Armed Forces who served on active
duty (other than for training purposes) and held any of the
following positions: an elective offices of the U.S.
Government, Office of the Chief Justice of the United States or
an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States,
an office listed, at the time the individual held the position,
in 5 USC 5312 or 5313 (Levels I and II of the Executive
Schedule), or the chief of a mission who at the time during his
or her tenure was classified in Class I under the provision of
Section 411, Act of 13 August 1946, 60 Stat. 1002, as amended
(22 USC 866) or as listed in the State Department memorandum
dated March 21, 1988.
8. Any former prisoner of war (POW) who, while a POW, served
honorably in the active military, naval or air service, whose
last period of service terminated honorably and who died on or
after November 30, 1993.
9. The spouse, widow or widower, minor children, permanently
dependent children, and certain unmarried adult children of any
above eligible veterans.
10. The widow or widower of: a member of the Armed Forces lost
or buried at sea, or officially determined missing in action, a
member of the Armed Forces buried in a U.S. military cemetery
overseas maintained by the American Battle Monuments
Commission, or a member of the Armed Forces interred in
Arlington National Cemetery as part of a group burial.
11. The parents of a minor child, or permanently dependent
child whose remains, based on the eligibility of a parent, are
buried in Arlington National Cemetery. A spouse divorced from
the primary eligible, or widowed and remarried, is not eligible
for interment.
12. The surviving spouse, minor children, and permanently
depended children of any eligible veteran buried in Arlington
National Cemetery.
13. Provided certain conditions are met, a former member of
the Armed Forces may be buried in the same grave with a close
relative who is buried in Arlington National Cemetery and who
is primary eligible.
Conclusion
The rules for interment at Arlington National Cemetery were
intended to allocate remaining burial capacity in the cemetery to honor
those who have contributed to the national security of the United
States. Yet, recently acquired land has removed the urgency of an
allocation that excludes the National Guard and Reserve members. In a
``total force,'' care must be taken to recognize the contributions of
the National Guard and Reserve members who are performing the same
missions as their counterparts. They should be allowed the same
eligibility at the time of their death.
The Reserve Officers Association and Reserve Enlisted Association
again thank the Subcommittee for holding a hearing on this subject, and
permitting ROA and REA to submit a statement for the record.