Feb 26, 2009
This table provides updated information about costs and funding for major weapons systems, including budget request and appropriation levels for FY 2009.
Feb 26, 2009
An ongoing debate in policy circles involves the question of whether or not to allocate the defense budget each year at four percent of America’s gross domestic product (GDP). This proposal is a gimmick that should be rejected by policymakers.
Feb 26, 2009
From 2001 through February 2009, Congress approved $864 billion in war-related funding for DOD, the State Department, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. This total breaks down as $657 billion for Iraq, $173 billion for Afghanistan, $28 billion for enhanced military base security, and $5.5 billion that cannot be allocated properly.
Feb 26, 2009
The United States is far and away the global leader in defense spending. In 2007, the most recent year for which complete data is available, the United States spent more on defense than the next 14 highest spending countries in the world combined and accounted for 43% of the world’s total defense spending.
Feb 26, 2009
The United States spends significantly more, in FY 2009 inflation-adjusted dollars, for defense today than it did during the peak years of the Korean War (1952; $604 billion), the Vietnam War (1968; $513 billion), or the 1980s Reagan-era buildup (1985; $556 billion). U.S. defense spending is higher today than at any point since World War II.
Feb 26, 2009
Over the last decade, U.S. defense spending has risen dramatically. National defense budgets have grown, in inflation-adjusted dollars, from $387 billion in FY 2000 to $694 billion in FY 2009, a real increase of 79%. DOD’s base budget, which excludes both war and nuclear weapons funding, also has grown steadily over the last decade, increasing from $370 billion in FY 2000 to $513 billion in FY 2009, a real increase of 39% or an average of $16 billion per year.
Feb 17, 2009
Although presidential candidate Barack Obama made drawing down U.S. forces in Iraq the centerpiece of his national security agenda, so as to focus on the “real fight” in Afghanistan, President Obama will find that even with a complete withdrawal from Iraq, the United States’ current all-volunteer forces will be inadequate for accomplishing its worldwide national security goals. These authors propose combining a revived military draft with a broader public-service program.
Feb 3, 2009
When it finally does arrive, the fiscal year 2010 defense budget request will come amidst the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. The economic maelstrom has brought renewed attention to federal spending priorities and the defense budget, now bigger than at any time since World War II, has emerged as a sector for reform and potential budget cuts. In this new backgrounder, defense analyst Travis Sharp frames the debate about Pentagon spending as the Obama administration and Congress move into the 2010 budget cycle.
Jan 15, 2009
As George W. Bush's time in office comes to an end, his administration is working overtime to put a positive spin on his legacy. In this new compilation, executive director John Isaacs considers the good, the bad, and the ugly over the last eight years.
Dec 1, 2008
Those of us eagerly awaiting relief from the debacle called the Bush administration should avoid getting swept up the in DC parlor game of who is getting what position in the new administration and focus instead on the fundamental changes we need the Obama administration to start making. In short, "It's the Policy Stupid!"
Nov 19, 2008
While the election of Barack Obama heralds an impending change in U.S. policy toward Iraq, defense officials in Washington and Baghdad continue to focus on transforming the Iraqi military into a legitimate fighting force. Both the United States and Iraq seem to agree that no matter what President-elect Obama’s new strategy looks like, bolstering the strength and effectiveness of the Iraqi Security Forces will play a key role in stabilizing Iraq in the wake of U.S. troop withdrawals.
Nov 17, 2008
In this full-length essay published in the autumn 2008 issue of Parameters: U.S. Army War College Quarterly, military policy analyst Travis Sharp argues that spending four percent of GDP on defense is a policy proposal that should be rejected by budget experts and national security analysts alike.
Oct 20, 2008
Despite the Bush administration's investment of an estimated $60 billion since 2001, U.S. national missile defense continues to be an unnecessary and counterproductive enterprise. In this commentary published in Defense News on October 20, Lt. Gen. Robert Gard and Kingston Reif outline three essential changes that could set missile defense back on a productive course.
Oct 16, 2008
Many Americans may not realize that the United States will spend more on defense over the next 365 days than on the $700 billion bailout package. In this commentary for Foreign Policy in Focus, Travis Sharp considers what might happen with future U.S. defense budgets now that the economy is in shambles.
Oct 2, 2008
At a time when people are losing their homes and struggling to make ends meet, many Americans find the $700 billion cost of the financial rescue package to be simply unacceptable. What many Americans probably don’t realize is that the United States is likely to spend $711 billion, more than the cost of the financial bailout, on national defense in the fiscal year that began on October 1, 2008.
Sep 25, 2008
With members of Congress eager to leave town for the campaign trail, and Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 starting on October 1, Congress slapped together a consolidated appropriations package that includes several appropriations bills and a continuing resolution (known as a 'CR') all rolled into one. The package provides $487.7 billion in total defense funding, $4 billion less than the administration's request but 6.2 percent above the FY2008 funding level.
Sep 24, 2008
Congress decided to skip the normal conference procedure for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 Defense Authorization bill (S.3001). Working together, the House and Senate produced a joint bill that now must gain final approval from the House and Senate before it can be sent to President Bush for his signature. The bill fully authorizes the administration’s $542.5 billion National Defense (function 050) request. The bill also authorizes $68.5 billion in "bridge" funding for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, for a “base” budget plus “bridge” budget grand total of $611.1 billion.
Sep 23, 2008
This report, written by a taskforce of experts in fields including military budgeting, forces and policy, nonproliferation, development, alternative energy, and homeland security, outlines a way to do the rebalancing between military and non-military security tools, rather than just talking about it.
Sep 10, 2008
In early September, several news outlets reported that Iraq is interested in buying 36 F-16 fighter jets from the United States. This proposed sale is the latest development in an intense push by the United States and Iraq to transform the Iraqi military into a legitimate fighting force. Recent weapons acquisition proposals would enlarge the Iraqi Security Forces’ purview from merely enforcing internal order to counterbalancing other countries in the region.
Sep 10, 2008
On September 10, the Defense Department announced that it was terminating the current competition to build the next generation of the Air Force's airborne refueling tanker, leaving the final decision on who would control the $35 billion program to the next Administration.
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