Marines Finally Tighten Ammo Security After Seven Year Delay

Nearly seven years after a 2018 Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that military ammunition, including missiles and rockets, was not being properly safeguarded, the U.S. Marine Corps has finally implemented new physical security survey protocols long after other military branches took corrective action.

The GAO report prompted immediate responses from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Pentagon, all of which increased inspections and tightened security measures in the years following the findings. The Marine Corps, however, only issued its directive on October 30, mandating physical security survey protocols with strict accountability requirements and corrective actions for deficiencies.

It remains unclear why the Marine Corps delayed its response. GAO’s online tracking system still lists the Corps’ recommendation as “open,” while those for other services are marked “closed.”

“As of August 2022, when we reached out through the Department of Defense about the status of this recommendation, no update was provided. We reached out to DoD in June 2023 and again in August 2023 to request an update on the status of this recommendation, but as of November 2023 we have not heard back from DoD,” GAO investigators wrote in a report update. “We will keep this recommendation open and continue to monitor whether the Marine Corps takes relevant implementation actions. As of March 2025, DoD has not provided information showing that the Marine Corps has taken action to meet the intent of this recommendation.”

A request for comment from the Marine Corps regarding the timing of its response did not receive an immediate reply.

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Following the 2018 report, the Army was the first to update its security procedures, introducing a new information system in 2019 to track inspection timelines. The Navy added questions to its explosives safety checklist in 2020, and the Air Force enhanced its tracking tools around the same period. By 2021, the Pentagon issued a memo outlining guidance for all services on addressing deficiencies discovered during inspections.

Although the Marine Corps performed relatively well in GAO’s 2018 survey with between one and seven deficiencies per site compared to up to 24 for the Army and 16 for the Navy, the report still found that nearly half of Marine Corps security inspections were late. Two of six reviewed locations did not follow guidance for inspections or documentation.

“Marine Corps guidance does not clearly state what items must be included in the physical security inspection report,” GAO wrote, adding that a Marine official at the time had promised an update to the Corps’ Physical Security Program manual by June 2019. That manual, however, has not been revised since 2009.

At all six Marine Corps sites reviewed, GAO found at least one physical security deficiency, and none had documentation showing whether or how the issues were resolved.

The new Marine administrative message directs that all physical security surveys be conducted by trained and certified specialists. It requires commands to provide corrective action reports within 90 days of identifying deficiencies and mandates notification of a general officer level headquarters if surveys are delayed. Annual surveys are now required, and the Marine Corps must provide a compliance certification to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security.

A 2021 Associated Press investigation found that weapons had gone missing across all U.S. military services between 2010 and 2019. The Marine Corps reported 204 lost or stolen weapons, including firearms and grenade launchers, of which 14 were later recovered.

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Editor’s Note:

The Marine Corps’ delayed implementation of ammunition security protocols highlights ongoing challenges in defense oversight and accountability. While corrective steps are finally underway, the yearslong gap underscores the need for consistent enforcement and proactive reform across all military branches.