Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Defense

This Government Accountability Office (GAO) letter identifies priority recommendations for Department of Defense leaders responsible for military readiness, weapon systems acquisition, and financial management. As of July 2026, the Department had 1,567 open recommendations, including 53 priority recommendations.

Readers will learn which actions GAO recommends to strengthen the transition to the Sentinel ICBM, Navy shipyard planning, weapon systems cybersecurity, and financial oversight. The Department implemented 17 priority recommendations since GAO’s June 2025 letter, but has not received an unmodified department-wide financial audit opinion. GAO warns that “Long-standing internal control weaknesses” increase opportunities for fraud. The letter also addresses defense industrial base priorities and Joint Strike Fighter asset data.