LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL U.S. SENATE, Washington, D.C., November 2, 1971. Hon. HARRISON A. WILLIAMS, Jr., Chairman, Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: At the request of the Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics, the General Accounting Office made a study to determine the savings that might accrue through the establishment of programs for the prevention and treatment of alcoholism in the Armed Forces. This study was undertaken as part of the Subcommittee's examination of the general area of drug abuse and alcoholism. Our examination was extended to the military by agreement of the Hon. John C. Stennis, Chairman, and the Hon. Margaret Chase Smith, ranking minority member, of the Committee on Armed Services. The Subcommittee anticipates that the report will be of great interest not only to the Congress but also to officials of the Department of Defense and the Military Departments as they seek answers to a significant problem that has long been ignored. The Subcommittee will consider the report carefully in the hope that the manifold problems which alcoholism creates for service personnel, their families, and the Armed Forces themselves will be Chairman, Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics, DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: This is our report on alcoholism among military personnel made pursuant to your request of October 22, 1970. In accordance with the agreements reached with your office, written comments on our observations have been obtained from the Department of Defense and are included in this report. Sincerely yours, ELMER B. STAATS, Comptroller General of the United States. 2. Alcoholism among military personnel-how prevalent is it?. Low cost and ready availability of alcoholic beverages. Factors discouraging alcoholism.. I. Letter dated October 22, 1970, from the chairman, Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics, Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, III. Summary of Report on Substantial Cost Savings from Establishment DIGEST WHY THE REVIEW WAS MADE The General Accounting Office (GAO) review of alcoholism among military personnel was made at the request of the Chairman, Subcommittee on Alcoholism and Narcotics, Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare. (See app. I.) Background Previously GAO had made a similar study, at the request of the Chairman, concerning Federal civilian employees. In that report GAO estimated that the Federal Government could realize annual savings of from $135 million to $280 million from an alcoholism program for civilian employees, assuming prevalence rates of alcoholism ranging from 4 to 8 percent. (See app. III.) FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS Substantial savings, as well as humanitarian benefits, can be realized from the establishment of a comprehensive alcoholism control program for military personnel. (See p. 15.) The Department of Defense (DOD) has no complete, reliable data that show the extent of alcoholism in the Armed Forces. For each 1-percent reduction in the incidence of alcoholism, the potential gross savings could be about $24 million annually. If the incidence is comparable to the estimated average 5 percent in the civilian work force, then the potential annual gross savings could amount to about $120 million. (See pp. 4 and 13 to 14.) Although the incidence of alcoholism in the military population may be no greater than that of the civilian population, it could be a more serious problem because of the frequently dangerous and critical duties involved. Many senior command and staff officers at military bases in the United States and overseas who talked about this believed that the incidence of alcoholism among military personnel was negligible and, in any event, was lower than that among the civilian population. But others closely involved with alcoholism believed that the incidence was at least the same as that in the civilian work force. (See pp. 4 and 5.) Factors which could affect the incidence of alcoholism among military personnel included: social climate, family separations, low cost and ready availability of alcoholic beverages, and boredom. Factors which could discourage the development of alcoholism among military personnel included military discipline and standards. and the lower average age of the military. (See pp. 6 and 7). Negative attitudes and punitive statutes and regulations have resulted in hiding the problem. The military alcoholic has little incentive to come forward and seek help. (See pp. 8 to 10.) 69-310-71 |