Implications of Defense Budget History for Acquisition Budget 2010-2020

Abstract

Since the height of the Vietnam War in 1968, the defense budget has gone through two complete 20 year cycles of decline and recovery, during which the budget topline fell by more than one third in constant dollars. Declines fell disproportionately on the acquisition budget which lost about half of its value in the course of each downturn. This paper examines these cycles, underlying conditions, and measures taken in anticipation of and response to the budget declines, and it observes that the defense budget could be entering another period of decline. Based on history and current conditions, it analyzes the potential effects on the acquisition budget of several different possible defense budget evolutions over the coming decade, notes the potential for severe consequences for acquisition, and suggests possible measures to avoid or ameliorate those consequences.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA515437

Entities

People

  • Alan H. Shaw
  • Frank A. Tapparo
  • Gene H. Porter

Organizations

  • Institute for Defense Analyses

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Business Administration
  • Command And Control
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Employment
  • Health Services
  • Iraqi-War
  • Maintenance
  • Military Budgets
  • Military Personnel
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Treaties
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Unmanned Underwater Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Economics
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis