Gene L. Dodaro, GAO Comptroller General:
While the DOD represents a big share of the federal budget, it cannot accurately account for its spending or assets … cannot pass the test of an independent audit … a system in which key processes and incentives are better at saying ‘yes’ than ‘no’ to programs that fail to measure up.
For more than a decade, DOD has dominated GAO’s list of federal programs and operations at high-risk and vulnerable to fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement.
In fact, all the DOD programs on GAO’s High-Risk List relate to business operations, including systems and processes related to management of contracts, finances, the supply chain, and support infrastructure, in addition to weapon systems acquisition. inefficiencies and other long-standing weaknesses in these areas lead to challenges in supporting the warfighter, billions of dollars being wasted annually, and missed opportunities to free up resources for higher priority needs.