Original Broadcast Date: 11/15/2026
Sponsored by WAEPA
The Pentagon is taking a closer look at how it spends money, manages contracts, and delivers resources to warfighters. Jules Hurst, Comptroller at the Pentagon, says a new initiative is helping the department identify inefficiencies and redirect funding toward its highest priorities. During an interview on Fed Gov Today with Francis Rose, Hurst explains how the Force Agility and Streamlining Teams (FAST) are bringing a different approach to financial management across the department. "FAST is the department's internal consulting arm," Hurst says. The initiative focuses on eliminating unnecessary bureaucracy, improving contracting practices, and helping organizations make changes that allow them to operate more effectively.
Hurst explains that FAST operates within the Comptroller's office and is led by a former Wall Street executive. The initiative also brings in special government employees with experience in acquisition, information technology, and government contracting. Their responsibility is to work with organizations across the Pentagon to identify problems and develop practical solutions. Unlike efforts focused primarily on eliminating programs or positions, Hurst says FAST emphasizes reform. He points to the Army Review Boards Agency as an example. The organization relies heavily on paper-based processes and manual workflows. FAST works with the agency to explore how new technologies and updated business practices can help it respond to warfighter requirements more quickly. Hurst emphasizes that collaboration is an important part of the process. FAST works with organizations to secure their support before implementing changes. The Comptroller's office can then help those organizations execute improvements through the budget process. When efficiencies generate savings, those resources can potentially support other priorities.
One of FAST's responsibilities involves reviewing contracts before they move forward. Hurst explains that contracting officers across the department purchase services, materials, and other resources. FAST serves as a central clearinghouse that can identify potential problems, including labor rates that are too high or unnecessary management expenses. The goal is to help contracting officers refine agreements and ensure the government receives appropriate value for its money. However, Hurst acknowledges that additional reviews can create delays. To address that concern, FAST uses what he calls a "shot clock." If the team does not respond to a contract within a specified period, the contracting process continues. FAST also shares lessons from its reviews with contracting officials across the department. For Hurst, the primary measure of success is cost avoidance. As the initiative identifies unnecessary expenses or duplicate spending, the department can pursue opportunities to redirect resources toward capabilities that need investment.
Beyond FAST, Hurst is focused on another major financial management priority: achieving a clean audit opinion by fiscal year 2028. He explains that the department cannot replace all its legacy financial systems before that deadline. Instead, the Pentagon is working with the infrastructure it already has. Financial information from existing systems is being brought into the War Data Platform, where officials can organize data and use it to support audit testing.Some of the work remains highly manual. Hurst says more than 300 Defense Contract Audit Agency auditors are working with the Defense Logistics Agency to count inventory at warehouses across the country. The effort helps reconcile discrepancies between financial and inventory systems before external auditors arrive. The department is also changing how it organizes its audit work. Rather than pursuing 25 separate audit opinions, Hurst says the Pentagon is concentrating on eight. That approach makes it easier for military services and defense organizations to share lessons and coordinate resources.
Hurst points to the Marine Corps as an example of what the department can accomplish. He also anticipates additional progress from the Navy, the Defense Information Systems Agency, and the Medicare-Eligible Retiree Health Care Fund. According to Hurst, the department now has a majority of its more than $4 trillion in assets covered by clean audit opinions. But achieving a clean opinion is only part of the challenge. Maintaining that progress requires stronger financial controls and better-connected systems. Hurst says the department is developing a roadmap for consolidating financial applications and improving communication among its enterprise resource planning systems.
The conversation also highlights how quickly the Pentagon is moving funding toward emerging military capabilities. Hurst says the department obligates 98% of the funding provided through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by the end of fiscal year 2026. That represents approximately $150 billion directed toward critical warfighter capabilities. He points to the delivery of 25,000 counter-unmanned aircraft systems to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility as one example. The funding also supports investments in drone technologies, counter-drone systems, and autonomous warfare capabilities. Hurst believes these technologies are changing the nature of military operations. For the Pentagon, that creates an opportunity to move resources more quickly toward capabilities that can make an immediate difference. Across contracting, auditing, and military investment, Hurst describes a financial management strategy focused on reducing unnecessary costs, improving accountability, and ensuring resources reach the priorities that matter most to warfighters.