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The Pentagon has failed its annual audit for the sixth year in a row.
Defense Department Comptroller Mike McCord announced the findings to reporters Wednesday as the department defended its ongoing failures as an ongoing process of cleaning up its books.
“We are working on improving our process. Although they were not the results we wanted, we definitely learn every time a test is successful,” said Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh.
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Pentagon Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh holds a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, DC. Singh said that the failure of a sixth review was not “the results we wanted” and that balancing the books for the Pentagon was an “ongoing process”. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images / Getty Images)
She added, “And you know, it’s an ongoing, ongoing process that this building is evaluating.”
The audit consisted of 29 sub-audits and examined approximately $4 trillion in assets and another $4 trillion in liabilities. The trial cost approximately $187 million to complete.
“Auditing the department’s $3.8 trillion in assets and $4 trillion in liabilities is a massive undertaking,” McCord said.
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The Pentagon is seen from Air Force One as it flies over Washington, DC. The Pentagon has failed its annual audit for the sixth year in a row. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File/AP Newsroom)
He continued, “But the improvements and changes we make every day as a result of these trials positively impact every Soldier, Sailor, Airman, Marine, Guardian and civilian in the Department of Defense.”
Audit investigations were carried out by 1,600 auditors at around 700 locations.
The Pentagon passed just 7 of 29 sub-audits in 2023 – identical to last year’s final results.
Pentagon Comptroller Michael McCord testifies during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington, DC. McCord called the Pentagon audit a “huge undertaking” that helps soldiers across the department. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Auditors found that half of the assets claimed by the department could not be accounted for.
The Pentagon began the introspection in 2018 under former President Trump’s administration.