The Department of Defense (DoD) requested $535 billion in funding for 2013—a 1 percent increase over its 2012 funding— not including the cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. CBO analyzes the budgetary implications of DoD's defense plans, including military personnel, weapon systems, and operations.
Defense Budget
featured work
The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Program and AlternativesApr 2013 - CBO compares the Army’s plan for the GCV with four options and finds that, although no option would meet all of the Army’s goals, all are likely to be less costly and pose a smaller risk of delay than CBO expects for the Army’s plan.
Approaches for Scaling Back the Defense Department’s Budget Plans Mar 2013 - The costs of the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) budget plans through 2021 would be much higher than the funding permitted under the Budget Control Act’s statutory caps. CBO examined four options to cut back on DoD’s forces and activities.
Costs of Military Pay and Benefits in the Defense BudgetNov 2012 - For fiscal year 2013, the Department of Defense has requested $150 billion for pay and benefits for current and retired military personnel--more than one-quarter of DoD’s total budget (excluding funding for military operations in Afghanistan).
Long-Term Implications of the 2013 Future Years Defense ProgramJul 2012 - CBO projects that DoD’s plans will cost $123 billion, or 5 percent, more to execute through 2017 than DoD estimates. CBO also projects that the cost of DoD’s plans will exceed the limits established in the Budget Control Act.
An Analysis of the Navy's Fiscal Year 2013 Shipbuilding PlanJul 2012 - The Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan calls for purchasing 268 ships through 2042. CBO finds that the plan would fall short of the Navy’s goals for some types of ships. The plan would also cost an average of $22 billion per year (in 2012 dollars), much more than the Navy has received in recent years.
S. 3254 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013Jun 2012 - Cost estimate for the bill as reported by the Senate Committee on Armed Services on June 4, 2012
H.R. 4310, National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 May 2012 - Cost estimate for the bill as reported by the House Committee on Armed Services on May 11, 2012
latest work
Snapshot of Spending for Military Retirement Pay
blog postApril 17, 2013The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Program and Alternatives
reportApril 2, 2013Approaches for Scaling Back the Defense Department’s Budget Plans
reportMarch 18, 2013H.R. 933, the Department of Defense, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013
cost estimateMarch 4, 2013H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013
cost estimateDecember 19, 2012Costs of Military Pay and Benefits in the Defense Budget
reportNovember 14, 2012CBO Releases Report on Costs of Pay and Benefits in the U.S. Military
blog postNovember 14, 2012H.R. 6365, National Security and Job Protection Act
cost estimateSeptember 12, 2012
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