Officials Announce First DoD-Wide Audit, Call for Budget Certainty

In what is perhaps one of the most intriguing stories to pop up as of late, the DOD is doing an Audit. This leads to so many questions in my mind, and I'm certain in the minds of others.

The Defense Department is starting the first agencywide financial audit in its history, Pentagon officials announced today. Defense Department Comptroller David L. Norquist and chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana W. White spoke during the Pentagon news conference, in which they also addressed the possibility of a government shutdown when the continuing resolution that has been keeping the government running expires tomorrow.

Pentagon Spokesperson Announces Start of Audit Norquist said he received the DoD Office of Inspector General's notification that the financial statement audit begins this month.

This comes on the heels of months of speculation that it wouldn't happen, and what it will reveal but some things are clear. This is huge.

It will take roughly 2400 people to do, and I'm guessing thats a minimum, and will review everything (or so they say)

Personnel
Real estate property
Weapons
Bases
Supplies
Contractors?

Fed eral News Radio

David Norquist, who was confirmed by the Senate as undersecretary of Defense (comptroller and CFO) less than a month ago, told the House Armed Services Committee that full audits of Defense components and an overarching audit of each of DoD’s financial statements would take place in 2018. The department has already made arrangements with independent public accounting firms to conduct the work, he said. “Most of those contracts are already awarded. There’s one or two that are awaiting to be finalized and awarded, but we have every expectation to be fully compliant and fully under audit,” Norquist said. Of course, placing the department under audit and having it actually pass an audit are very different matters. No one in the Pentagon is willing to forecast that DoD will earn a clean opinion during its first couple of years of full-scale audits.

For an agency that receives roughly $600 billion a year, the Defense Department is not exactly showing fiscal responsibility, according to a new report by the DoD Inspector General Office. Financial management ranks in the top five of the IG’s list of management and performance challenges facing the Pentagon in 2018. That comes as no surprise to those who are familiar with DoD’s history of audit, in the fact that the department has never been audited and remains the only federal agency that has yet to complete one. “Long-standing financial management challenges continue to impair the DoD’s ability to provide reliable, timely and useful financial and managerial information to support reported financial statement balances. Additionally, the lack of reliable financial information prevents its full use in operating, budgeting and policy decisions,” the IG report stated.

Now it's estimated that the DOD has 2.4 Trillion in assets, but as most long time ats'ers know that number could be much higher then advertised and that even with an audit there may be no revelations concerning the oft reported Trillions the DOD has "lost" over years past.

Robert Hale, the Pentagon’s CFO and comptroller, told a special panel assembled to examine DoD’s progress toward audit readiness that there is a focus and commitment to the issue among the department leadership that has not existed in the past. But if DoD is to achieve the goal of auditable statements by September 30, 2017, Congress needs to do whatever it can to make sure future CFOs pay as much attention to the issue as he does, he said. “Perhaps my biggest concern is sustained commitment to this over time. That really depends,” Hale told the House Armed Services Committee’s defense financial management and auditability reform panel at its inaugural hearing.

This all seems to tie back to 2009 when Congress said the DOD has to be Audit ready by this year. At one point during the election both candidates could have requested information pertaining to it. So do you think Trump knows whats up and whats coming? Do ya think Hillary/Obama have sins to pay for?

What can any of us expect to really learn and, if things go south, who is gonna pay the piper for misuse of funds and supplies?

a reply to: Thorneblood

Another Pentagon attack is imminent! That's what happen the last time they started looking for the trillions of dollars that went missing.

a reply to: Thorneblood

Trump always knows. Sounds good to me and who knows who they flush out. I guess now it's time to panic for a whole bunch of people. This is how draining the swamp looks like. No matter which side they are on please expose them all.

a reply to: dfnj2015

The timing is right. Assuming Trump started this, they have been working towards this event for a while.

Now they have most of their contracts given, they can start.

Money, money, money, where does it all go!

Some deep pockets are about to be exposed.

P

I sense another magic bullet theory.

do you want to get JFK'd?
because auditing the MIC is how you get JFK'd.

interesting but i personally dont feel like anything will ultimately come of it. we will find out lots of money is unaccounted for, it will be said to be black budget funds or some such thing, and then nothing will probly ever come of the audit.

originally posted by: TheScale
interesting but i personally dont feel like anything will ultimately come of it. we will find out lots of money is unaccounted for, it will be said to be black budget funds or some such thing, and then nothing will probly ever come of the audit.

Black budget = Israel

a reply to: Thorneblood

The cobwebs and cubby holes
are a start. This is the first step
of a massive overhaul and streamlining
process. Admittedly, a long overdue and
arduous task recommended by none other
than those who are thoroughly entrenched.

S&F S&F

originally posted by: dfnj2015
a reply to: Thorneblood

Another Pentagon attack is imminent! That's what happen the last time they started looking for the trillions of dollars that went missing.

Not a bad think at all...bank clerks need to balance the books, as I civil servant I needed to balance the books to the penny. There is a difference.

originally posted by: dfnj2015

originally posted by: TheScale
interesting but i personally dont feel like anything will ultimately come of it. we will find out lots of money is unaccounted for, it will be said to be black budget funds or some such thing, and then nothing will probly ever come of the audit.

Black budget = Israel

maybe. isreal is quite the arms dealer

a reply to: Thorneblood

If y'all haven't followed Catherine Austin Fitts you need to check her out. She used to be assistant director of HUD. She has tons of info on the black budget. Hud seemed to be a slush fund for it. There are some good videos with Dark Journalist which can enlighten.

Also seems Meganon indicated we would not be paying back. She said first FBI, then CIA , FED apparently a restructuring.

Remember, though Trump isn't articulate, his degree is in Economics. Then that could also be a threat.

Edit to add...the non payback was about the 21 trillion missing.

I guess this is what happens when you elect a businessman instead of a career politician....

Ssshhhsh! (Speak softly!). ..Let me tell you a secret. Any "McDonald's", "management" can run the DOD on a "budget". But I'd never give them a "Blank Check". Take for example? $5m dollars spent on an (Army).."ACU", that is/would be an excellent camouflage if the enemy was pooring concrete on you! Or an "Army" that gives up a perfectly good hat/cover, sheds water, keeps the sun out of your eyes, for a French designed pos? This, this is a good thing! I've personally seen so much waste. This is a good thing! To a basic Soldier, you better be able, to account for you ammo/gear/ "field loss"..dollars. About f'n time, someone holds DOD's feet to the fire... At least with an Art 15.

a reply to: pheonix358

I, so hope so! We got a guy that knows what profit and loss is. An actual "leader". I'd say this isa good thing.

a reply to: murphy22

I'm sorry, what?

a reply to: Thorneblood

If you have to ask? You probably shouldn't know.

a reply to: Thorneblood

Well, I am sure you are happy for Trump because this is a long overdue audit. Trump is doing mostly good things that need to happen. Glad you are finally waking up to that reality.

originally posted by: dfnj2015
Black budget = Israel

Not completely.

Lots of CIA money is likely black budget. Probably the same with the other 3 letter agencies.

Lot of good news on ats right now.

Nice change.

a reply to: Lolliek

Nothing in the op says anything about trump doing this? Is it in the link?

The op does say this

The department has already made arrangements with independent public accounting firms to conduct the work, he said. “Most of those contracts are already awarded.

This makes me think that this was in the works for a long time.

So then I did some digging and found this www.asmconline.org...
The audit was ordered back in 2014.
Refresh my memory , who was president back in 2014?