Bureaucratic Politics and the B-2 Bomber: The FY'96 Budget as a Case Study

Abstract

Almost three years ago, Congress agreed to halt the procurement of B-2 bombers after funding 20 aircraft. The Clinton FY'96 defense budget did not include money for additional bombers, and the Administration remained firmly opposed to building more B-2s during congressional hearings. However, the FY'96 defense authorization and appropriations bills passed by the Congress and signed by the President contain an additional $493 million in funding for the B-2 This paper examines the multiple political strands underlying the B-2 funding decision. Specifically, it focuses on the "iron triangle" of mutual interests that has formed around the B-2 program and what happened when this bureaucratic coalition ran into conflict with presidential politics.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1996
Accession Number
ADA442383

Entities

People

  • Jerry Stacy

Organizations

  • National War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aerospace Industry
  • Air Force
  • Aircrafts
  • Base Closures
  • Cold War
  • Congress
  • Contractors
  • Contracts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Federal Budgets
  • Foreign Policy
  • Law
  • Military Budgets
  • National Security
  • Tactical Aircraft
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Civilian Systems Systems Program Capability Development and Upgrade Support Activity Expense and Pay Management.
  • Government and Public Administration Law.
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.