Towards Reengineering the United States Department of Defense: A Financial Case for a Functionally-Aligned, Unified Military Structure
Abstract
This research examined the potential financial and non-financial benefits of working towards reengineering the Department of Defense (DoD) through the adaptation of a functionally-aligned, unified organizational structure. Based on historical analysis of the DoD's current structure, a proposed DoD structure is presented that aligns operational functions under functional corps and support functions under existing defense-wide agencies and field activities. An analysis of overlapping functionality between services provided the basis for quantitative analysis of size-of-force and budget request data for Fiscal Year 2013 (FY2013). This analysis enabled the comparison of operational efficiency between services. These rates were used to benchmark operational efficiency across the DoD. An estimate of savings for each function was assessed by comparing the actual budget request for FY2013 against the estimated budget request under the proposed structure. Through sensitivity analysis, estimated savings from these functional areas ranged between $7 Billion and $100 Billion for FY2013. Analysis of existing literature highlighted non-financial implications of adopting a functionally-aligned, unified DoD structure. Recommendations for future research include the need for an Activity-Based Costing and Budgeting system to identify actual costs of DoD functions.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA600445
Entities
People
- Luke R. Stover
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology