Budgeting for US Nat Defense

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

“No budget, no policy”. Government policies can only be carried out if the programs designed to implement them are funded. This course will examine how strategic objectives and policies derived from the U.S. National Security Strategy translate into individual programs and associated budgets specifically across the Department of Defense; and how planned-for budgets become real dollars to implement such programs through enacted law. Since budgeting for federal programs is a shared responsibility between the executive and legislative branches of Government, this course will examine both the executive and legislative budget processes, their respective timelines, and stakeholders: From formulation of the President’s annual budget request to the enactment of the budget for the Department of Defense by way of the congressional appropriations process. The purpose of this course is not to advocate for or against any particular policy, program or budget item, but rather to help students gain a practical understanding of the decision-making processes, timelines and stakeholders that contribute to the enactment of the annual national defense budget. This will prepare students to plan, advocate for, and implement policies and programs in the future. This course is oriented towards those interested in the practice of federal budgeting. We will not cover every program within the Department of Defense budget, but this class will leave students with the tools to conduct their own analysis going forward. Course Learning Objectives. At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to: ● Understand the U.S. National Security Strategies from 2018-2022, their strategic objectives, and the correlation of these objectives to specific policies, programs, and budgets of the Department of Defense. ● Understand how changes to the U.S. National Security Strategy lead to policy and budget changes. ● Apply federal budget concepts, categories, terminology, timelines and processes to the Department of Defense budget. ● Analyze the executive branch budget formulation process; as well as identify associated stakeholders. ● Evaluate executive branch department and agency programs and budgets. ● Understand and analyze the congressional budget and appropriations processes leading to budget enactment, including the associated legislative procedures; as well as identify associated stakeholders ● Analyze and evaluate the impacts of congressional decision-making on Department of Defense budgets and programs. ● Explain and justify a program budget to congressional stakeholders.