By Thomas Stevenson | The Post Millennial
The Pentagon has failed its seventh audit in a row as of Friday and cannot account fully for the $824 billion the Department of Defense (DoD) is allocated. Despite this, DoD officials say they have “turned a corner” on the spending. The audit itself cost the government $178 million.
The Pentagon could not provide a full accounting of the $824 billion DoD budget, sparking more outrage from taxpayers who fund the operation, per Fox News. The DoD said, “Teams of independent public accountants and the DoD Office of Inspector General closely examined the financial statements of the Department and its reporting entities. Of the 28 reporting entities undergoing standalone financial statement audits, 9 received an unmodified audit opinion, 1 received a qualified opinion, 15 received disclaimers, and 3 opinions remain pending.”
The Hill reported that the audit cost the DoD around $178 million using some 1,700 auditors. An unmodified audit opinion is the goal. A qualified opinion means that there are some omissions or concerns, but that the finances are generally reliable. A disclaimer of opinion means that auditors lacked sufficient information that would allow them to form an accurate opinion.