The Defense Department Inspector General (DoDIG) says U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) should be responsible for a C-12 Huron aircraft and end confusion among the command, Army Special Operations Command (USASOC) and the Army.
The DoDIG recommended that the commander of SOCOM assume responsibility for providing “oversight and accountability of the of the C-12 aircraft, report the aircraft in their inventory, and make the aircraft visible for centralized scheduling. We also recommend that the Commanding General USASOC, develop and use the actual cost per flying hour rate for the C-12 aircraft.”
The audit began as a referral from the Army Inspector General, which conducted an investigation into allegations of military airlift (MILAIR) misuse at USASOC. Army auditors did substantiate an allegation that a senior USASOC official traveled on MILAIR without proper approval. Auditors also were concerned about the costs used to justify the MILAIR requests.
 |
| U.S. Army C-12 Huron, Courtesy U.S. Army |
The Beechcraft C-12 Huron Operational Support Airlift (OSA) aircraft is valued at $800,865 with a maximum seating capacity of seven passengers and two crewmembers, auditors said in the report DODIG-2013-080.
Auditors found that SOCOM did not provide adequate oversight and accountability of the USASOC C-12 in accordance with DoD guidance. Also, SOCOM officials did not report the aircraft in their OSA inventory for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s fiscal year 2012 review.
Additionally, SOCOM officials did not make the aircraft “visible for central scheduling,” the report said.
“As a result,” auditors wrote, “USASOC may be operating an underused aircraft in excess of the required Operational Support Airlift aircraft inventory. In addition, DoD is at an increased risk that misuse of the aircraft by senior officials may occur and go undetected.”
Auditors said USASOC officials didn’t use the C-12’s actual cost when determining the most cost effective flight for administrative travel, instead using the Army’s FY ’11 standard cost of $1,228 and FY 2012 standard cost of $1,311. Additionally, USASOC officials improperly reduced the cost in FY 2012 by $262, or 20 percent, to account for pilot training. They did this because SOCOM officials directed USASOC to use pre-established DoD rates and endorsed the training reduction to justify additional flights on the C-12. “As a result, DoD lacks reasonable assurance that USASOC officials used the most effective flights,” the report said.