The Pentagon has failed its seventh consecutive audit, unable to fully account for its $824 billion budget. The audits resulted in a disclaimer of opinion, indicating insufficient information for an accurate assessment. However, officials believe the Department of Defense has made progress in understanding its budgetary challenges. The goal is to achieve a clean audit by 2028, as mandated by the National Defense Authorization Act. Despite the failure, the Pentagon sees the annual audit as a catalyst for financial management reform.