Department of Defense, actions needed to address five key mission challenges

" The United States faces a complex national security environment, to include strategic challenges presented by traditional state actors and destabilizing nonstate actors, such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. Recognizing these challenges, DOD has emphasized the importance of providing forces that are capable of performing a full range of missions. GAO has issued hundreds of reports that bring greater attention to areas where DOD can strengthen its operations to more efficiently and effectively meet its mission. This report identifies (1) key challenges affecting DOD's ability to accomplish its mission, progress made on these challenges, and work remaining; and (2) factors that have affected DOD's ability to address these key challenges. This report builds on GAO's past work with an emphasis on reports issued since 2011. GAO also analyzed DOD information on recent actions taken in response to GAO's prior work. "