The Reagan defense budget: prospects and pressures

Kevin N. Lewis

Expert InsightsPublished 1981

In this paper, the author discusses the ways in which a range of possible outcomes of the Reagan Administration's economic program could help to reinforce or undermine the prospects for real U.S. defense budget increases on the order of those presented by the President in March 1981. The prospects for planned real budget growth (which has been projected by some officials at 7 percent per year, in terms of outlays) could be rendered fairly bleak should the overall federal economic plan fail. Under any circumstances, moreover, the political rationale for maintenance of significant real DOD budget growth can be expected to remain in a state of conflict with other components of the Reagan economic plan. Too, whether or not the Reagan economic program is successful, powerful pressures and restraints will undoubtedly shape the internal mix of the defense buildup.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1981
  • Pages: 27
  • Document Number: P-6721

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Lewis, Kevin N., The Reagan defense budget: prospects and pressures. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1981. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6721.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.