Thornberry on DOD Audit

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Department of Defense released its first ever audit of the entire department. The audit, which was required by Congress in the FY 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, is the largest one of its kind. DOD auditabilty is an issue the House Armed Services Committee has taken seriously for more than a decade. In addition to mandating the audit, the Committee stood up a bi-partisan panel to monitor DOD's audit preparation efforts and challenges in 2011. DOD's ability to meet this audit deadline was the subject of the Committee's very first hearing in 2018. Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following statement on the first consolidated financial audit of the Department of Defense:

“Congress directed DOD to conduct this audit to better manage the resources we dedicate to national defense. The process is an opportunity to find problems and identify areas for future reform. As expected, this audit has uncovered a number of matters that Congress and the Pentagon must work together to address. We must take advantage of this opportunity to continue our reform efforts and make the Pentagon more efficient and agile. It should not be used as an excuse for arbitrary cuts that reverse the progress we have begun on rebuilding our strength and readiness.”