Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England kicked off the Defense Department’s “Check It” campaign today to raise awareness about its internal management controls program.

 

“This is a big title, but a simple concept that will have very, very powerful results here in the department,” he told a gathering of officials at the Pentagon.

 

The Check It campaign aims to reach everyone throughout DoD and to remind them the importance of their jobs to the overall mission and the importance of double-checking themselves to make sure they’re doing them right.

 

“If you check things, then what should happen, will happen,” England said. “It’s what we want to do every day in the jobs we do.”

 

That has big implications for the military, where “getting it right” is the only real option, he said.

 

Paratroopers, for example, ensure they follow every single step on their checklist to the letter. Jumpmasters review, and if necessary, correct their troops’ preparations. “Your life depends on it,” England said. “There’s no second chance to get it right.”

 

The same principles apply in the field of medicine, with surgeons follow specific procedures and double-check themselves before, during and after an operation, he said.

 

Even fields in which the life-and-death impact is less apparent, attention to detail can mean the difference between success and failure. Doing the job right will ensure the department’s primary mission, supporting warfighters, always gets carried out as efficiently and effectively as possible, England said.

 

The Check It campaign will help remind members of the department — military, civilian and contractor alike — to check themselves to make sure they’re doing things correctly and not checking corners. “Check It and make sure it gets done and gets done right every time,” he said. “This is one way to do a great job every day.”

 

For the next 12 months of the Check It campaign, DoD will focus on different functional areas to showcase how internal management controls apply.