Pentagon Plugs: New Study Finds Pentagon Has Hidden Trillions In Missing Money And Equipment

Sierra-RCHDDefense_Finance_Accounting_Services_(DFAS)_Official_SealI previously wrote a column about how government officials waste billions or plow whole programs in the ground without nary a reprimand. If that column bothered you, you might want to sit down. A new report has detailed how the military has cooked the books to hide trillions, that’s right trillions, in missing money and equipment. The military calls them “plugs,” a curious term for fraud. These are knowingly fake figures used to hide the fact that there is no accurate record of the money. In one finding, a single office in Columbus, Ohio, made at least $1.59 trillion in errors with $538 billion in plugs. The study reveals that government accounting records are fraudulent but that congressional oversight has been equally illusory.

The plugs are generally the work of the office of the Defense Finance and Accounting Service, the Pentagon’s main accounting agency. Required to complete an audit, the staff simply faked the numbers. When taxpayers and citizens do that, they go to jail. Yet, government officials can knowingly falsify reports and figures for billions without fear of discipline or even reprimand. To the contrary, the plugs were approved by their supervisors.

The Army actually lost track of $5.8 billion of supplies between 2003 and 2011 — leaving some units without essential equipment.

Of course, we continue to spend massive amount of our budget on new equipment and military programs — backed up by a massive lobby and industry that thrives on the defense budget. Lost equipment will just have to be replaced and more contracts awarded.

Members are considering legislation to require the government to have audits that are truthful. It is not clear what the requirement was before.

Source: Reuters

89 thoughts on “Pentagon Plugs: New Study Finds Pentagon Has Hidden Trillions In Missing Money And Equipment”

  1. Did someone hear you tell your darling son that you’ll buy him an X-Box if he brings up his grades.
    In recent years, sportsmen have increasingly been trending in the direction of
    scopes rich in powered magnification. When you read on you will see
    that night visions main purpose was for the military so I will spend most of my
    time in this area.

Comments are closed.