Two years ago, congressional researchers sounded an alarm: The Army had hired scores of civilian security guards with criminal records because it had not conducted required background checks on them. Other guards lacked required training.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon decided to see if such problems had been fixed by conducting spot checks at five bases, ...

It found those bases still could not verify whether three of every five security guards at them had received all the required screening and training. It also found some bases didn't have as many guards on duty as contracts required — but paid the full contract amounts anyway.

Some bases also failed to conduct required, secret exercises to see if guards could find fake IDs or simulated car bombs. ...