Defense spending is vital to the ensure the nation’s security. But that doesn’t mean the Pentagon should be above budget scrutiny. Far from it, as a recent audit reveals.
Last week, the Government Accountability Office concluded that the Pentagon cannot account for at least $220 billion in military gear given out to defense contractors. Nor is this a new phenomenon. The report found that the Defense Department has for at least four decades “struggled” to accurately inventory billions in “government furnished property,” or GFP in bureaucratese.
Such equipment can include weapons, missiles, ammunition, torpedoes, component parts and other items. The materiel is sometimes turned over to contractors for maintenance or modification.
