WEBVTT

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- Marines and civilian teammates,

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I'm here with Lieutenant General Adams,

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our deputy commandant for Programs and Resources,

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also known as the money guy.

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We want to commend you and thank you again

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for your hard work in achieving our

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second annual clean audit in fiscal year 2024.

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The Marine Corps was the first service to pass

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the Department of Defense 
annual audit in fiscal year 2023,

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and now the first service to 
accomplish this momentous feat

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two years in a row.

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This is history in the making.

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That bears repeating.

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Your efforts have made history once again.

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The work you do is vital to ensure that

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we get our Marines what they need, when they need it,

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to successfully accomplish the mission.

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Without you, Marines don't get to the fight,

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and we don't have what we need to win the fight.

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Having a clean audit means I can

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confidently tell Congress and the American people

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that a dollar invested in the Marine Corps

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is a dollar well spent.

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Your efforts to ensure our fiscal accountability

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ensure that our ability to remain

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America's crisis response force

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by receiving the critical funds 
we need to increase lethality,

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improve infrastructure,

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and enhance quality of life.

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I am extremely proud of what you have accomplished.

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- Since taking the helm as the

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deputy commandant for Programs and Resources,

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I've witnessed firsthand the effort and teamwork

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required to achieve this

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and maintain this audit opinion.

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I remain in awe of the professionalism,

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commitment, and daily focus across the enterprise.

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Going forward, we must continue

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to work smarter, not harder,

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by leveraging our many lessons learned.

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I'd like to focus on two key lessons.

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First, we still have too many manual processes.

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Often, this happens when

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passing information between 
systems and organizations.

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In today's age of advanced technology,

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we can and will improve this.

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Manual processes create more work

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and increase the potential for error.

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What we owe you

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are the right technological solutions
to automate these processes,

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and we have a plan for that.

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Secondly, it remains crucial to lean into

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planning for and supporting the auditors' site visits.

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Reach out to the auditors 
before they come so you can

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align your internal processes with their visit.

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A well-planned site visit ensures auditors' requests

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are met on time and on target,

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which will prevent extra work.

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Before I turn it back over to the commandant,

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I'll remind you that success

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comes from brilliance in the basics.

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Audits take a lot of work,

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and they're very dynamic.

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Situations and tasks change at the cyclic rate,

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so flexibility and, most of all,

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constant communication are key.

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Support the team and the mission,

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and speak up when you see 
something that requires attention.

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Thanks to all of you for your hard work,

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your continued support, and your feedback.

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In return, we will continue to work hard for you

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to support you from this headquarters.

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- Marines lead from the front,

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and because of your efforts,
we continue to set the standard

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for the Department of Defense

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and financial accountability and management.

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We're here because of your 
relentless grit and determination,

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and I know you'll continue to maintain

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our high standards of excellence.

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As we look to the future,

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the fiscal year 2025 audit is already underway.

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So we need to maintain our momentum.

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Your initiative, discipline, and attention to detail

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will be essential to driving our success

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in the upcoming audit.

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I have every confidence that you'll

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continue to demonstrate the same 
level of expertise and dedication

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that has brought us to this point.

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Keep it up, and I look forward to sustaining our success

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in fiscal year 2025.

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Semper fidelis.