WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, to open the hearing titled "Department of Defense Update on the Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness (FIAR) plan." To watch the hearing live and for more information click here.
"Today the Committee meets to receive an update on the Department of Defense’s Financial Improvement and Audit Readiness plan. This issue has been a high priority for this Committee for some time, and as the September 2017 deadline approaches, we need to understand how much progress has been made and what obstacles lay ahead.
The Department of Defense is the single largest entity of the federal government, and it is charged with its foremost responsibility. Taxpayers deserve to know that their money is being spent with appropriate checks and controls. That public confidence is essential as the men and women of DOD work to safeguard our nation.
The processes which enable annual audits also enable better decision making by the Department and by this Committee, which will be of growing importance in this dynamic, complex threat environment.
The Fiscal Year 2010 NDAA codified the requirement that the Department be fully audit ready by September 2017. In 2011 this Committee’s 'Panel on Defense Financial Management and Audibility Reform,' led by Mr. Conaway, made a number of findings and recommendations that have been incorporated and, in some cases, executed by the Office of the Comptroller.
Many significant challenges have been identified and undoubtedly more will be uncovered. The chances of success are greatest when the Department, the Services and other DOD organizations, resolve with this Committee to overcome those obstacles, whatever they may be.
We look forward to discussing the progress made by the Department in executing the plan, how successes have allowed the plan to move forward, and where lessons learned from prior missteps have altered that plan. The Committee remains dedicated to keeping the Department on its course toward fiscal responsibility in being good stewards of taxpayer dollars."