Somehow, with the constant, swirling talk regarding government waste, the department with nearly a trillion-dollar budget that has failed every annual audit for close to a decade running rarely, if ever, gets a mention — much less consequences meted out to leadership.
In fact, if anything, it seems that the more public money a Pentagon employee “loses,” the higher he climbs in the ranks. Somebody winds up with a ton of cash in their pockets, and the favor is repaid.
Related: How Long Until Retiring Gen. Mark Milley Is on the Board of Raytheon or Boeing?
So it is that the Pentagon has now failed its seventh audit in a row, and we’ve barely heard a peep from the hardline stewards of the public treasury in Congress who otherwise never stop lambasting government waste.
Via The Hill (emphasis added):
The Pentagon on Friday failed its seventh audit in a row, with the nation’s largest government agency still unable to fully account for its more than $824 billion budget, though officials stress they are making good progress toward a clean audit in 2028.
The Department of Defense technically earned a disclaimer of opinion, meaning it failed to provide sufficient information to auditors to form an accurate opinion.
The goal is to earn an unmodified audit opinion, or a clean audit that says the financial statements are accurate. A qualified opinion says there are omissions and concerns but the finances are generally reliable.
Not to worry, though, folks. The laudable public servants over at the DoD would like to reassure the public that the Department has “turned a corner in its understanding of the depth and breadth of its challenges.”
Something called “momentum” is also “on our side.”
Continuing:
Michael McCord, under secretary of Defense comptroller and chief financial officer, said that despite the disclaimer of opinion, which he expected, the Defense Department “has turned a corner in its understanding of the depth and breadth of its challenges.”
“Momentum is on our side, and throughout the Department there is strong commitment — and belief in our ability — to achieve an unmodified audit opinion,” he said in a statement.
The Defense Department’s report card as a whole is made up of 28 entities operating under the Pentagon that conducted independent audits.
Of those, nine received an unmodified audit opinion, one received a qualified opinion, 15 received disclaimers and three opinions remain pending. The Pentagon expects the final number of clean or qualified audits to be roughly around what it was last year.
Related: Pentagon Official Confronted Over Military’s 5 Consecutive Failed Audits
Let me make a bold prediction: next year, the DoD will fail its eighth consecutive audit, “progress” will be cited, and nothing will fundamentally change — just as nothing did after the previous seven failed audits that would kill any private business.
…Unless, of course, Elon Musk is serious about government efficiency — even when it comes to government entities he has financial entanglements with.
We’ll see how serious the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) scheme is when it’s Elon’s bottom line that is potentially on the line.
