The U.S. Department of Defense is one of the largest organizations in the world, managing global security responsibilities with numerous international allies and partners. What does it take to fund DoD? Where does that money go? How is DoD coping in the current fiscal environment? What gaps exist between the strategy outlined in the Quadrennial Defense Review and the capabilities funded by the latest budget request?
On September 4, 2014 CSBA hosted a press briefing to release a new report, Analysis of the FY 2015 Defense Budget.
The report's author, Senior Fellow Todd Harrison discussed the Pentagon’s most recent budget proposal, including military compensation costs, readiness funding, cost projections for major acquisition programs, and the request for Overseas Contingencies Operations.
Harrison estimated the gap between the strategy and defense program called for in the QDR and the budget caps currently in effect—as totaling into the hundreds of billions over the FYDP. He concluded that the Pentagon has not budgeted enough to fully resource its strategy nor has it revised its strategy to fit within the budget constraints set by Congress. Harrison warned that if left unresolved, this strategy-resource gap would inevitably lead to greater risk in executing an already under-resourced strategy and defense program.
>>related: FY2015 Weapons Systems Factbook