Pentagon fails 7th audit in a row, unable to fully account for $824B budget

The Pentagon failed its seventh consecutive audit connected Friday arsenic the bureau was incapable to afloat relationship for its monolithic $824 cardinal budget, though officials were assured the Department of Defense "has turned a corner" successful knowing its budgetary challenges going forward.

The audits resulted successful a disclaimer of opinion, which means auditors were provided with insufficient accusation to signifier an close sentiment of the accounts.

Of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) 28 reporting entities that had standalone audits, 9 received an unmodified audit opinion, 1 received a qualified opinion, 15 received disclaimers, and 3 opinions stay pending, the Pentagon said.

But with the extremity of achieving a cleanable audit by 2028, Michael McCord, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and Chief Financial Officer, said the bureau "has turned a country successful its knowing of the extent and breadth of its challenges." 

MILITARY SUICIDES WERE ON THE RISE LAST YEAR, DESPITE A MASSIVE INVESTMENT IN PREVENTION PROGRAMS

The agency's extremity of earning an unmodified audit sentiment by the extremity of 2028 is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images, File)

"Momentum is connected our side, and passim the Department determination is beardown commitment—and content successful our ability—to execute an unmodified audit opinion," helium said successful a statement.

Michael McCord, comptroller of the Pentagon, said that portion overmuch enactment remains ahead, helium believes the Pentagon tin execute an unmodified audit by 2028. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)

The nonsubjective of earning an unmodified audit sentiment is mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act.

McCord told reporters astatine a briefing connected Friday that helium would not accidental that the bureau "failed" arsenic it had "about fractional cleanable opinions."

"So if idiosyncratic had a study paper that is fractional bully and fractional not good, I don’t cognize that you telephone the pupil oregon the study paper a failure," helium said.

The Pentagon failed to execute cleanable audits for the seventh twelvemonth successful a enactment connected Friday. (DANIEL SLIM/AFP via Getty Images, File)

US DEPLOYS ADDITIONAL MILITARY FORCES TO MIDDLE EAST AMID INTENSIFYING REGIONAL TENSIONS: PENTAGON

Independent nationalist accountants and the DoD Office of Inspector General intimately examined the fiscal statements for the audit.

McCord emphasized successful a connection that the way to a cleanable audit is clear.

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"Significant enactment remains and challenges prevarication ahead, but our yearly audit continues to beryllium a catalyst for Department-wide fiscal absorption reform, resulting successful greater fiscal integrity, transparency, and better-supported warfighters," helium said.