Pentagon's First-Ever Audit Exposes Massive Accounting Fraud

The military budget is at its highest level since World War II, but where exactly does all that money go and what wars are we even fighting these days? In this episode, Amy Walter finds out how much is being spent and how the money aligns with the military's strategic goals for the future of warfare. Plus, a look at how active duty service members feel about their commander-in-chief. And one retired colonel raises concerns about the way President Trump is politicizing the military.  Guests: Staff Sergeant Patricia King Ambassador Eric Edelman Dave Lindorff, an investigative reporter and a contributor to The Nation Meghann Myers, a Senior Reporter for Army Times Neta C. Crawford, Professor of Political Science, Boston University and co-director of the Costs of War Project at Brown University Dr. Isaiah Wilson III, a retired Army colonel, and a senior lecturer with Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs Note: Mark Skidmore reached out directly to us to clarify his position: "My opinion is that the reports from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) are too vague to draw any conclusions and we need access to the underlying data. I am unable to determine whether these massive adjustments are "plugs" or potentially large amounts of money flowing in and out of the DOD financial system. For reasons described here, I do not dismiss the possibility that these unverified transactions could represent more than made up numbers or plugs." You can connect with The Takeaway on Twitter, Facebook, or on our show page at TheTakeaway.org.