Priority Open Recommendations: Department of Defense

What GAO Found

In June 2024, GAO identified 90 priority open recommendations for the Department of Defense (DOD). Since then, DOD has implemented 15 of those recommendations, leading to improvements in preventing helicopter training accidents, clarifying barracks health and safety standards, and improving the quality of financial reporting, among other areas. Further, GAO removed the priority status from two other recommendations.

In May 2025, GAO identified 6 new priority recommendations for DOD, bringing the total number to 79. These recommendations involve the following areas:

• Sustaining U.S. readiness and competitive advantage over adversaries;
• Improving financial management;
• Ensuring the health and safety of service members and their families;
• Strengthening infrastructure management; and
• Executing business reform.

DOD's continued attention to these issues could lead to further improvements in the department's operations.

Why GAO Did This Study

Priority open recommendations are the GAO recommendations that warrant priority attention from heads of key departments or agencies because their implementation could save large amounts of money; improve congressional and/or executive branch decision-making on major issues; eliminate mismanagement, fraud, and abuse; or ensure that programs comply with laws and funds are legally spent, among other benefits. Since 2015, GAO has sent letters to selected agencies to highlight the importance of implementing such recommendations.

For more information, contact Cathy A. Berrick at berrickc@gao.gov.