Financing National Defense

A volume in Research in Public ManagementSeries Editor: Lawrence R. Jones, Naval Postgraduate SchoolA myth from the colonial period was that Americans could defend themselves by keeping a rifle inthe closet and when needed, grab it, and march off to battle in times of crisis. Unfortunately,providing national defense is more complicated that that; indeed it was more complicated evenduring the Revolutionary war. General George Washington's struggles to form a standing armysupported by workable logistics and supply processes and to get funding for both from theRevolutionary Congress are well documented. Financing national defense requires planning andresourcing in advance. Reacting at the instant of crisis is too late. Building an educated, highlytrained and capable Armed Forces and the acquisition of defense weapons and weapons systems haslong lead times and involves making decisions the consequences of which are likely to last for decades. These decisions include how torecruit and retain military and civilian personnel as well as designing, buying and fielding a vast array of ground weapons, ships,aircraft and other weaponry. A decision to buy a major defense weapons system for example sets in motion a chain of other decisionsthat will affect the U.S., its allies and enemies around the world. Implementation of such decisions is financed through the U.S. federalgovernment and Department of Defense budget processes in a planned yet highly and pluralistic and disaggregated system fordetermining how to advocate, acquire and allocate scarce resources in a manner that culminates in congressional and presidentialapproval. In this book we examine the concepts and practices of defense financing, provide a detailed description and analysis ofresource policy decision making, financial management and budget execution processes, and analyze the most significant features ofthe national defense and U.S. federal government resource decision and management system. The book assesses the numerous factors,including those that characterize the complex budget review and appropriation decision making dynamics of Congress, that make U.S.defense finance and budgeting different from any other system in the world. In addition, in a concluding chapter the book comparesU.S. defense policy and budgeting to other nations in different regions of the globe, drawing conclusions about the effects of U.S.defense policy and defense financing abroad in regions including Europe, Russia, theMiddle-East and Asia.