The Department of Defense received about $100 billion in 2013 to procure new weapon systems and other major equipment and to upgrade existing weapon systems; it received another $64 billion for research, development, testing, and evaluation of new weapon systems. CBO reviews selected weapon programs and, every year, provides an analysis of the department's long-term defense plans, which includes projections of the cost of weapon systems.
Weapon Systems
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.
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.
An Analysis of the Navy's Amphibious Warfare Ships for Deploying Marines OverseasNov 2011 - CBO reviews the size, missions, and use of the Navy’s amphibious warfare ships and related expeditionary forces under the Navy’s 2012 shipbuilding plan.
latest work
The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Program and Alternatives
reportApril 2, 2013Technical Challenges of the U.S. Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Program: Working Paper 2012-15
working paperNovember 6, 2012An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2013 Shipbuilding Plan
reportJuly 25, 2012CBO Estimates That the Navy’s Latest 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan Will Cost More Than the Navy Estimates
blog postJuly 25, 2012Long-Term Implications of the 2013 Future Years Defense Program
reportJuly 11, 2012Models Used by the Military Services to Develop Budgets for Activities Associated with Operational Readiness
reportFebruary 14, 2012An Analysis of the Navy's Amphibious Warfare Ships
blog postNovember 18, 2011An Analysis of the Navy's Amphibious Warfare Ships for Deploying Marines Overseas
reportNovember 18, 2011
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