Tag Archives: Department of Defense

GAO’s Financial Management and Assurance Mission Team

GAO’s workforce is organized largely by subject area, with many of its employees working in 1 of 14 mission teams. Today we’ll be putting the spotlight on the Financial Management and Assurance (FMA) team, which helps improve and transform the … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on November 13, 2014 by gao_watchblog | Tagged about GAO, audit standards, Department of Defense, financial audits, financial management, FMA, GAO, government accountability office, green book, internal control, mission team, yellow book

Services for Veterans

As we express gratitude to the men and women who have served in our nation’s military this Veterans Day, we also reflect on how our nation helps prepare service members and veterans for a transition from military to civilian life. … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on November 10, 2014 by gao_watchblog | Tagged counseling, defense, Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, DOD, education, GAO, GI Bill, government accountability office, podcast, servicemembers, transition, usgao, VA, veterans, veterans affairs, veterans benefits, video

GAO’s Acquisition and Sourcing Management Team

Posted on October 30, 2014 by GAOWatchBlog

GAO’s workforce is organized largely by subject area, with most employees working in 1 of 14 mission teams, many of which we have highlighted on the WatchBlog. Today we’ll be putting the spotlight on the Acquisition and Sourcing Management (ASM) team, … Continue reading →

Posted in About GAO, Budget and Spending, Mission Team, National Defense, Space | Tagged about GAO, acquisition, acquisition capacity, acquisition management, acquisition planning, ASM, best practices, critical technologies, defense systems, Department of Defense, DOD, DOD space systems, government accountability office, major weapon systems, mission, mission team, NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, security systems, sourcing, sourcing management, space, strategic sourcing, usgao

Watching Out for Federal Cybersecurity

The federal government relies on computer networks and systems to provide essential services affecting the health, economy, and defense of the nation. Incidents of hacking or cyber attacks place sensitive information at risk, with potentially serious effects on federal and … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on October 21, 2014 by gao_watchblog | Tagged access controls, cyber incident, cybersecurity, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Department of Justice, DHS, high risk, inappropriate access, information security, internal control, IT, Justice, personally identifiable information, PII, risk

Controlling Costs for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

From acquisition to operations and maintenance, Department of Defense weapons programs are consistently of interest to the federal government and the public. Since 2000, we have been assessing DOD’s most costly weapons program, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The defense acquisition … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on October 10, 2014 by gao_watchblog | Tagged acquisition, ASM, best practices, budget, cost, cost estimates, DCM, defense, Department of Defense, F-35, joint strike fighter, podcast, quick look, sustainment, weapon systems | 1 Comment

The Future of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship

Since 2004, the Navy has been working on acquiring a new class of ship intended to provide surface combat capabilities near the shore (the littoral zone). The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) was intended to have lower acquisition costs and to … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on September 30, 2014 by GAOWatchBlog | Tagged acquisition, class, defense, Department of Defense, Freedom, independence, LCS, Littoral Combat Ship, Navy, risk, seaframe, ships, shipyard, U.S. Navy, USS Freedom, weapon system

Podcast on F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Sustainment Planning Efforts

The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is intended to replace a variety of existing aircraft in the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps within the next four years. Sustaining the F-35 program over its lifecycle carries an estimated cost of approximately … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on September 23, 2014 by gao_watchblog | Tagged acquisition, Air Force, aircraft, cost, DCM, Department of Defense, F-35, F35, jet, joint strike fighter, life cycle, Marines, Navy, planning, podcast, sustainment planning, weapon systems

Maritime Piracy Threatens Some Parts of African Coast

Arghh, matey! September 19 may be International Talk Like a Pirate Day, but modern pirates continue to threaten commercial shipping lanes and fishing boats, particularly along the coasts of Africa. In 2014, we assessed the problem of piracy and the … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on September 19, 2014 by gao_watchblog | Tagged counterpiracy, Department of Defense, East Africa, GAO, government accountability office, Gulf of Guinea, Horn of Africa, hostage, HSJ, IMB, International Maritime Bureau, maritime crime, Office of Naval Intelligence, piracy, pirate, Somalia, State Department, usgao

What Exactly are “Improper Payments”?

Improper payments are always an area of concern for the federal government. These include overpayments, underpayments, payments made to ineligible recipients, or even payments that weren’t properly documented. While fraudulent payments are considered improper, not all improper payments are the … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on August 14, 2014 by GAOWatchBlog | Tagged medicare, oversight, fraud, abuse, mismanagement, cost savings, consolidated financial statement, financial statements, federal government, management, agencies, Department of Defense, FMA, Medicaid, improper payments, auditing, predictive analytics technologies, prepayment edits, CMS, data mining, Foster Care

Sharing Health Records for Servicemembers and Veterans

The Departments of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) operate two of the nation’s largest health care systems, providing care to more than 9.6 million active-duty servicemembers and 6.3 million veterans. For many years, DOD and VA have known that … Continue reading →

Image | Posted on July 25, 2014 by gao_watchblog | Tagged Department of Defense, Department of Veterans Affairs, DOD, duplication, EHR, health care, health records, iEHR, information technology, interoperability, IT, modernization, servicemembers, VA, veterans