Compass Points - Ops Audit?
Marines pass financial audit again.
Compass Points - Ops Audit?
Marines pass financial audit again.
May 22, 2026
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Is it time for the Marine Corps to pass an audit beyond a financial audit alone?
Many news outlets have reported that the Marine Corps has once again earned a clean financial audit opinion, an achievement no other US military service seems able to achieve.
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The U.S. Marine Corps passed its fiscal year 2025 financial audit for the third year in a row, marking the Corps as the first and only service to achieve a successful audit opinion.
The Corps’ audit process revealed that the service’s financial records are accurate, complete and compliant with federal regulations, according to a Monday release.
-- Military Times
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Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth has predicted that the DOD will follow the Marine Corps’ example and get its own clean audit by 2028.
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Terry Gerton - Let’s talk about clean audits in DoD. Secretary Hegseth, in his testimony regarding the 2026 DoD budget, said he was committed to getting a clean audit in 2028. How is this administration taking on that challenge?
Rich Brady - Well, first, this administration has been very consistent throughout the importance of a clean audit. In my first conversations with senior officials in the department, they said that a clean audit opinion was the number one priority, and it was far above all other priorities.
-- Federal News Network, interview
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Achieving a clean financial audit is an important priority for a military organization, but it is not the only priority. Marines in a tough urban battle will not be able to use the financial audit as armor support. Marines needing to clear a minefield, or to bridge a river will not be able to use the financial audit as the solution. And Marine 155 cannon artillery will not be able to use the financial audit for fire missions.
The Marine Corps should ask Secretary Hegseth to provide outside auditors to conduct a Marine Corps operational audit. While it is laudable that the Marine Corps’ financial books are in order, that is not enough. Do the Marine Corps’ current worldwide, combined arms capabilities meet all applicable operational standards?
The operational audit of the Marine Corps would need to audit every aspect of the Marine Corps capabilities. The operational audit of the Marine Corps would include a thorough review of Marine Corps DOTMLPFP. DOTMLPFP is an acronym for doctrine, organization, training, materiel, leadership & education, personnel, facilities, and policy. Each item of DOTMLPFP would need to be audited to see if each one fully complies with and contributes to Marine Corps’ worldwide crisis response capabilities.
An operational audit of Marine Corps DOTMLPFP would reveal many gaps in current Marine Corps capabilities, but even before the DOTMLPFP examination, the operational audit should begin with US Code Title 10 §8063.
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§8063. United States Marine Corps: composition; functions
(a) The Marine Corps, within the Department of the Navy, shall be so organized as to include not less than three combat divisions and three air wings, and such other land combat, aviation, and other services as may be organic therein. The Marine Corps shall be organized, trained, and equipped to provide fleet marine forces of combined arms, together with supporting air components, for service with the fleet in the seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and for the conduct of such land operations as may be essential to the prosecution of a naval campaign. In addition, the Marine Corps shall provide detachments and organizations for service on armed vessels of the Navy, shall provide security detachments for the protection of naval property at naval stations and bases, and shall perform such other duties as the President may direct. However, these additional duties may not detract from or interfere with the operations for which the Marine Corps is primarily organized.
(b) The Marine Corps shall develop, in coordination with the Army and the Air Force, those phases of amphibious operations that pertain to the tactics, technique, and equipment used by landing forces.
(c) The Marine Corps is responsible, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of peacetime components of the Marine Corps to meet the needs of war.
-- US Code Title 10, §8063
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Even a cursory review of US Code Title 10 would raise many questions for Secretary Hegseth and his operational auditors.
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1. Does the Marine Corps now have the required “three combat divisions and three air wings“ when Marine infantry and aircraft have been reduced? How can the 3rd Marine Division meet the requirement to be a full combat division when it has been stripped of most of its infantry and artillery? How can air wings be full airwings when they are missing aircraft and aircraft support units?
2. How can the Marine Corps meet the requirement for “other services as may be organic therein“ when it has cut or eliminated armor, artillery, heavy engineering, snipers, and more?
3. How is the Marine Corps be “organized, trained, and equipped“ to provide “forces of combined arms“ when it has turned combat regiments into less capable missile units, and cut or eliminated units, equipment, and capabilities necessary for forces of combined arms?
4. How has the Marine Corps turned its focus from its combined arms, crisis response, and instead focused on small sensor and missile units in the Pacific when “additional duties may not detract from or interfere with the operations for which the Marine Corps is primarily organized.”?
5. How is the Marine Corps focusing on tactics, techniques, and equipment used by missile units when it is required to focus on “those phases of amphibious operations that pertain to the tactics, technique, and equipment used by landing forces.“?
And finally in the list of questions to get Secretary Hegseth and his operational auditors started, how can the Marine Corps be the Nation’s combined arms, global crisis response force when the Marine Corps Commandant proclaims the ‘strategic priority’ of the Marine Corps is to become a sensor node in a joint kill chain?
Compass Points congratulates the Marine Corps for achieving a clean financial audit three years in a road. Well done. As important as a financial audit is, however, it is time for the Marine Corps to pass an operational audit. Marines will never be able to use the financial audit like a grenade, and throw it when the enemy comes over the hill.
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Military Times - 02/11/2026
Marine Corps continues streak as only service to pass financial audit
By Cristina Stassis
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Federal News Network - 03/31/2026
New approach to the DoD’s long-troubled audit effort takes new shape
By Terry Gerton
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Before "you know who" shows up to say "FD has been approved by multiple administrations / several Congress's" and the conversation becomes a rehash of whether that equates to validation or not, I propose changing it up to keep it interesting. Grable et al, how about you address the 5 questions in terms of practical and available capability today. Give a few details. Feel free to explain how EABO as proposed under FD, supports the answers. How do you think the FD better prepared the USMC to support an ally in meeting engagements / global crisis response?
Marines are usually somewhat resistant to change and most of the time, for good reason. The MARINE CORPS of today I do not reconize, yes they wear the green and The Eagle Globe and Anchor...that's about it. I see a politically correct MC and that makes me sad.