The Code Red worm and base closings are not the only things the Pentagon has to worry about lately. The General Accounting Office (GAO) has agreed to perform a department-wide audit, including an investigation of abuse of the Pentagon's 1.8 million credit cards. At the request of Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the GAO began its investigation by looking into potential purchase card abuse on two San Diego Naval bases. They found "a weak overall internal control environment, flawed or nonexistent policies and procedures, and a lack of adherence to valid policies and procedures." The Pentagon has defended its purchase card program, claiming misuse of the cards is significantly below the commercial benchmark and that the savings on paperwork cover the cost of any fraud. Nonetheless, in its initial investigations, the GAO found little control over the $68 million dollars of purchases made last year at the two San Diego bases.
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