An Analysis of the Tail to Tooth Ratio as a Measure of Operational Readiness and Military Expenditure Efficiency
Abstract
The Tail-to-Tooth Ratio (TTR) expresses the relationship between the resources or forces employed to perform the core missions and the resources or infrastructure used to manage and support those forces. Several methods are used in DoD to measure the TTR, all of which attempt to establish an unambiguous boundary between "tail" and "tooth." Specific cases and examples confirm that such a clear-cut limit does not exist. On the contrary, the definitions of "tail" and "tooth" change with the specific situation, the environment and the timing of the measurement. The lack of a clear boundary suggests that the relationship between "tail" and "tooth" should not continue to be expressed as a ratio or a mathematical relationship between two numbers, but as a continuum. The "Tail-to- Tooth Continuum" can be represented in more than one dimension in relation to the number of variables used to characterize the position of a specific activity on the continuum. This new approach focuses on outputs and outcomes and could prevent the unnecessary labeling of costs, allowing management to concentrate on increasing efficiency and reducing the total costs of attaining DoD's desired outcomes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA411171
Entities
People
- Carlos H. Velasco
- Tamara L. Campbell
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School