Losing That War, Too

On 9/10/01, Donald Rumsfeld called a news conference to discuss his number one priority as defense secretary: he declared “war on the Pentagon bureaucracy.” A few excerpts from that speech:

“Our challenge is to transform not just the way we deter and defend, but the way we conduct our daily business. Let’s make no mistake: The modernization of the Department of Defense is a matter of some urgency. In fact, it could be said that it’s a matter of life and death, ultimately, every American’s….

“Waste drains resources from training and tanks, from infrastructure and intelligence, from helicopters and housing. Outdated systems crush ideas that could save a life. Redundant processes prevent us from adapting to evolving threats with the speed and agility that today’s world demands…The men and women of this department…know the taxpayers deserve better….

“Let me conclude with this note. Some may ask, defensively so, will this war on bureaucracy succeed where others have failed?…this effort will succeed because it must.”

A new GAO report shows that Rumsfeld’s effort has not succeeded. The report indicates that, three years after Rumsfeld’s speech, the Pentagon is the U.S. department most prone to fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement, “raising concerns about the effectiveness of many of its programs.” The Department of Defense accounts for eight of the 25 federal programs, functions or offices that appear on the GAO’s 2005 “high-risk” list.

Areas of concern include financial and contract management, the personnel security clearance program, management of military bases and other infrastructure, and modernization of computer systems, the report found.