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U.S. Budgets for National Security

Graduate · Historical course

Fall 2010

This course is for students who want to know how the dollars we spend on national security relate to military forces, systems, and policy choices, and who wish to develop a personal tool kit for framing and assessing defense policy alternatives.

Readings

Some readings are assigned in the required textbook
Listed reading
Adams, Gordon, and Cindy Williams. Buying National Security: How America Plans and Pays for Its Global Role and Safety at Home . New York: Routledge, 2010. ISBN: 9780415954402.
Listed reading
Buying National Security (required course textbook) Read chapter 1. “Money is Policy.”
Listed reading
Schick, Allen. The Federal Budget: Politics, Policy, Process . Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2007. ISBN: 9780815777359. Read chapter 1: Conflict and Resolution in Federal Budgeting, pp. 1-5.
Listed reading
Wildavsky, Aaron B., and Naomi Caiden. The New Politics of the Budgetary Process . New York: Longman, 2003. ISBN: 9780321159670. Read the forward.
Listed reading
Enthoven, Alain C., and K. W. Smith. How Much Is Enough?: Shaping the Defense Program, 1961-1969 . Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corp, 2005. ISBN: 9780833038265. Read the forward.
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Congressional Budget Office. “The Long-Term Budget Outlook.” June 2010 (Revised August 2010). Read the summary and chapter 1: “The Long-Term Outlook for the Federal Budget.” ( PDF - 1.2MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Congressional Budget Office. “Budget and Economic Outlook.” January 2010, Read the Summary, pp. xi to xv. ( PDF - 1.9MB ) ↗
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Congressional Budget Office. “An Analysis of the President’s Budgetary Proposals for Fiscal Year 2011.” March 2010. Read chapter 1. ( PDF - 1.6MB ) ↗
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Ippolito, Dennis S. Why Budgets Matter: Budget Policy and American Politics . University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780271022598. Read chapter 1: Perspectives on Budget Policy.
Listed reading
Historical Tables, Budget of the U.S. Government, FY 2011: Visit the OMB’s budget Web site and pull up the Historical Tables Familiarize yourself with the list of tables available, and view Table 8.4, “Outlays by Budget Enforcement Act Category as Percentages of GDP: 1962-2015.” ↗
Listed reading
Daggett, Stephen. “Resourcing the National Defense Strategy.” Statement before the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, November 18, 2009. ( PDF - 4.8MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Congressional Budget Office. “Long-Term Implications of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Budget.” January 2010. Read pp. 1-33. ( PDF - 2.1MB ) ↗
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Harrison, Todd. “ Analysis of the FY 2011 Defense Budget .” Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA), June 2010. Read the executive summary and overview chapter, skim the rest. ↗
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Defense Comptroller’s Green Book : visit the Comptroller’s Web site for FY 2011 budget materials and from the web page that opens, pull down the Green Book for FY 2011. Familiarize yourself with the table of contents, and view Budget Authority history by appropriation title (Table 6-8). ↗
Listed reading
Posen, Barry R., and Andrew L. Ross. “Competing Visions for U.S. Grand Strategy.” International Security , 21, no. 3 (Winter 1996/7). Read pp. 3-51. This article by Posen, Barry, and Andrew Ross is dated, but it offers the merit of looking side-by-side at four distinct grand strategies and discussing their potential costs. As you read the administration’s documents, be sure to consider the budgetary implications of the strategies they put forth. ( PDF ) ↗
Listed reading
National Security Strategy , May 2010 Read President Obama’s transmittal letter and the overview section, and skim the rest. Consider which of the Posen and Ross grand strategies are reflected here. ( PDF ) ↗
Listed reading
Quadrennial Defense Review Report, February 2010. Read the executive summary and introduction, and skim the rest. Consider which of the Posen and Ross grand strategies are reflected here. Also review what you know about U.S. budgets for national security, and consider which of the Posen and Ross grand strategies they might reflect. ( PDF - 6.6MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Posen, Barry R. “ The Case for Restraint .” The American Interest , November-December 2007. ↗
Listed reading
Wildavsky, Aaron B., and Naomi Caiden. The New Politics of the Budgetary Process . New York: Longman, 2003. ISBN: 9780321159670. Review the foreword you read in Week #1.
Listed reading
Enthoven, Alain C., and K. W. Smith. How Much Is Enough?: Shaping the Defense Program, 1961-1969 . Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corp, 2005. ISBN: 9780833038265. Review the foreword you read in Week #1.
Listed reading
Readings on Buying National Security Buying National Security (required course textbook) Read chapter 5: “Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution in the Department of Defense.” pp. 93-119 and endnotes pp. 287-291.
Listed reading
Buying National Security (required course textbook) Read chapter 9: “Resource Allocation and Budgeting in Congress,” pp. 193-220 and endnotes, pp. 305-308.
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Hamilton, Lee. “ Congress Only Tinkers On The Budget .” 2005. ↗
Listed reading
Readings on Assessment Joyce, Philip G. “ Linking Performance and Budgeting: Opportunities in the Federal Budget Process .” (IBM Center for the Business of Government, 2004) ↗
Listed reading
Congressional Budget Office. The All-Volunteer Military: Issues and Performance . July 2007, pp. 1-37. ( PDF - 1.2MB ) ↗
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Kosiak, Steven M. Introduction and Chapter 4: Options for Managing Military Manpower in Military Manpower for the Long Haul . Washington, DC: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, 2008. ↗
Listed reading
Congressional Budget Office. “Evaluating Military Compensation.” June 2007, pp. 1-28. ( PDF - 2.8MB ) ↗
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Review material from Week #3: Daggett, Stephen. “Resourcing the National Defense Strategy.” Statement before the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, November 18, 2009. Read pp. 9-15. ( PDF – 4.8MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Review material from Week #3 in Congressional Budget Office. “Long-Term Implications of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Budget.” January 2010. Read pp. 19-33. ( PDF - 2.1MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Wildavsky, Aaron B., and Naomi Caiden. The New Politics of the Budgetary Process . New York: Longman, 2003. ISBN: 9780321159670. Read the acquisitions section of chapter 8. (pp. 165-170)
Listed reading
Sullivan, Michael J. Defense Acquisitions: DOD Must Balance Its Needs with Available Resources and Follow an Incremental Approach to Acquiring Weapon Systems , GAO-09-431T, Washington, DC: GAO, March 3, 2009, pp. 1-11. ( PDF ) ↗
Listed reading
Kreisher, Otto. “ Report: Industry May Be Unable To Meet Military’s Needs .” National Journal’s CongressDailyAM , 14 (July 2009). ↗
Listed reading
Readings on how to get innovation Kugler, Richard L., and Hans Binnendijk. “Chapter 3: Choosing a Strategy.” in Transforming America’s Military [Preview with Google Books ] ↗
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Case Study on U.S. Fighter Programs Congressional Budget Office. Alternatives for Modernizing U.S. Fighter Forces (May 2009), summary, pp. ix-xxii. ( PDF - 1.8MB ) ↗
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Gertler, Jeremiah. Congressional Research Service. “F-35 Alternate Engine Program: Background and Issues for Congress.” March 22, 2010. Read, pp. 1-17. ( PDF ) ↗
Listed reading
Review material from Week #3: Daggett, Stephen. “Resourcing the National Defense Strategy.” Statement before the Committee on Armed Services, U.S. House of Representatives, November 18, 2009. Read pp. 6-9. Testimony ↗
Listed reading
Review material from Week #3 in Congressional Budget Office. “Long-Term Implications of the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Budget.” January 2010. Read pp. 1-33, and 5-17. ( PDF - 2.1MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Williams, Cindy. “The U.S. Defense Budget.” Statement before the Senate Budget Committee, February 23, 2010. Read pp. 1-11. ( PDF ) ↗
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Government Accountability Office. “Defense Budget: Trends in Operation and Maintenance Costs and Support Services Contracting.” May 2007. Read pp. 1-33. ( PDF ) ↗
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Government Accountability Office. Military Base Realignments and Closures: DOD faces Challenges in Implementing on Time and is not Consistently Updating Savings Estimates . January 2009. Read pp. 1-30. ( PDF - 1.2MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Belasco, Amy. “The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror Operations Since 9/11.” Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, September 28, 2009. Read pp. 1-37, and 44-49. ( PDF ) ↗
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Tanielian, Terri, and Lisa H. Jaycox, eds. Invisible Wounds of War: Psychological and Cognitive Injuries, Their Consequences, and Services to Assist Recovery . Santa Monica, Calif: RAND Coproration, 2008. Read the summary . ↗
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Congressional Budget Office. Replacing and Repairing Equipment Used in Iraq and Afghanistan: The Army’s Reset Program . September, 2007. Read the summary. ( PDF - 1.2MB ) ↗
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Singer, Peter W. “ Outsourcing the Fight .” June, 2008. ↗
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Congressional Budget Office. Contractors’ Support of U.S. Operations in Iraq . Washington, DC: CBO, August 2008. Read pp. 1, and 6-20. ( PDF ) ↗
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Congressional Budget Office. “Analysis of the Growth in Funding for Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Elsewhere in the War on Terrorism.” Washington, DC: CBO. February 11, 2008. Letter to the Honorable Kent Conrad. ( PDF ) ↗
Listed reading
Congressional Budget Office. “CBO’s Analysis of Scenarios for Funding the Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.” Letter to the Honorable Spratt Jr, John M., January 21, 2010 (six pages). ( PDF ) ↗
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The White House. Analytical Perspectives volume of the FY 2011 budget. Read section on Homeland Security in the chapter on Crosscutting Programs, pp. 379-386. ( PDF - 3.6MB ) ↗
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U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Quadrennial Homeland Security Review (QHSR) Report . February 2010. Read the executive summary and introduction, and skim the rest. ( PDF ) ↗
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Buying National Security (required course textbook) Read chapter 7. “Resource Allocation and Budgeting for Homeland Security,” pp. 141-161, and endnotes pp. 296-298.
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Summary and highlights: International Affairs Function 150, FY 2011 Budget Request Examine the Table of Contents plus the text and tables on pages 1-9 to get an overview of U.S. International affairs spending. ( PDF - 1.4MB ) ↗
Listed reading
Gordon, Adams. “The Politics of National Security Budgets.” Stanley Foundation Policy Analysis Brief February 2007. ( PDF ) ↗
Listed reading
Buying National Security (required course textbook) Read chapter 2. “Resource Planning for International Affairs and State Operations,” pp. 8-31, and endnotes pp. 255-264.
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Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, James Baker, Lawrence Eagleburger, Warren Christopher, Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, and Condoleezza Rice. “ U.S. Must Deploy more Foreign Diplomacy Personnel .” Politico , June 25, 2009. ↗
Listed reading
WEEK #: 12 · TOPICS: Presentation of Alternative National Security Plans · READINGS: No Readings
Reading assignment

Sources

Course catalogue ↗Historical OpenCourseWare
MIT OCW readings ↗
MIT OCW syllabus ↗
Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.