Why can we just eliminate all the fraud, waste, and abuse in the Department of Defense (DoD)?
4 percent funding level will be enough to meet the nation’s core defense needs only if both Congress and the DoD bend every effort to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse. In this context, however, it is important to recognize why there is wasteful spending in the first place. Only occasionally is it is the result of the Department’s malfeasance, although these instances are highlighted in the press. The real problem is systemic. Defense Secretary Gates’ four immediate predecessors all campaigned to reduce waste and improve procurement practices. Yet throughout those campaigns, the budgetary shortfall continued to grow—during Democratic and Republican Administrations alike. This is indicative of the fact that Congress has failed to modify its oversight functions and ease the legislative requirements that have resulted in an overly bureaucratic and inefficient management system at the DoD. Altering these requirements will be a long process because Congress’s incentive to change its practice
