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Military Budgets and Defense Spending

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The portion of the national budget that is allocated to defense covers salaries, training, and health care; maintains and purchases arms, equipment, and facilities; funds military operations; and funds the development of new technologies. RAND analyzes defense expenditures and advises military and civilian decisionmakers on options to maximize the effectiveness, continuity, and innovation of the nation's military force.

Commentary
Bad Idea: Looking for Easy Solutions for PPBE Reform
The means by which the Department of Defense decides how to spend its budget has long been criticized as needlessly complex and incapable of helping policymakers choose among investments to meet strategic goals. Seeking solutions, Congress created the Commission on PPBE Reform in the 2022 defense policy bill. But the reforms the system needs may not be as obvious as they seem.
Mar 2, 2023
Commentary
Rising to the Challenge: A Methodological Approach to Prioritizing Defense Investments
Meeting the Pentagon's goals to invest efficiently in military capabilities calls for a methodological process hinging on five key elements: aligning strategies with tasks, understanding what drives military innovation, embracing specificity in problem-solving, preparing for an unknown future, and assessing technology investments for prioritization.
May 30, 2023

Explore Military Budgets and Defense Spending

Report
A Revised Recruiting Resource Model for Achieving the Army Personnel Strategy: Accounting for Digital Advertising
Using an updated version of RAND’s Recruiting Resource Model, the authors analyze how observed and alternative mixes of advertising, recruiters, and bonuses affect the Army’s ability to achieve recruiting goals and the cost of doing so.
Nov 6, 2023
Commentary
Japan's Play for Today: Too Much? Just Right? Or Never Enough?
Japan is pushing ahead on a broad array of initiatives meant to strengthen the Self-Defense Forces' deterrent power across multiple domains. But there are bound to be limits in manpower, resources, capacity, or capabilities that will place limits on what the end point of Japan's buildup ultimately looks like.
Oct 31, 2023
Journal Article
Defence Industrial Power: Understanding the UK's Post-Brexit Role
This article explores the current challenges in UK foreign policy, particularly in regard to defence. It argues that the UK retains considerable potential post-Brexit, but faces several obstacles in developing its defence industrial power.
Sep 29, 2023
Brochure
An Enduring Partnership to Address the Department of the Air Force's Greatest Challenges
This brochure describes PAF's institutional values, research areas, expertise, and recent successes as well as how to access previous research, commission a PAF project, and engage with PAF leadership.
Sep 27, 2023
Research Brief
Findings and Recommendations for Funding Technology-Related Business Initiatives in the Department of the Air Force
This brief provides a short overview of the budgeting and execution process, describes findings related to the funding of technology-related business initiatives, and offers some recommendations for better program advocacy.
Sep 21, 2023
Commentary
The Strawman Defense Is Torching Taiwan's Military
There are many reasons why the political future of Taiwan Strait relations is uncertain, but the military considerations for Taiwan are much more straightforward. Taiwan should invest in capabilities that are highly survivable and potent against a potential attack from mainland China.
Sep 15, 2023
Report
Improving Integration and Synchronization of Space Acquisition and Fielding
The authors of this research explored ways the United States Space Force can facilitate the integration and synchronization of space acquisition and fielding to support the delivery of end-to-end space capabilities to outpace adversary threats.
Aug 31, 2023
Brochure
Saving the Government Money: Examples from RAND's FFRDCs
RAND's defense-related federally funded research and development centers apply research capital they have developed over the years to help decisionmakers solve problems and often save money as well. This publication lists and briefly summarizes some RAND projects undertaken over the past several years that have helped save the government money or that have identified ways to do so.
Aug 25, 2023
Commentary
Defense Budgeting and the Dilemma of Lost Time
Since 2011, Congress has routinely struggled to pass a budget on time. Instead, Congress leverages continuing resolutions to fund the government and prevent shutdowns. This flawed process that relies on temporary fixes is hampering Pentagon planning and could pose long-term risks to U.S. military readiness and competitiveness.
Aug 16, 2023
Report
Army Aviation Special and Incentive Pay Policies to Promote Performance, Manage Talent, and Sustain Retention
This report presents results of an effort to determine how the U.S. Army This report presents results of an effort to determine how the U.S. Army might modernize special and incentive pays to better reward Army aviators' career advancement while cost-effectively achieving retention objectives. modernize special and incentive pays to better reward Army aviators’ career advancement while cost-effectively achieving retention objectives.
Aug 7, 2023
Blog
Ukrainian Refugees, U.S. and Allied Defense Strategy, Threats from AI: RAND Weekly Recap
This weekly recap focuses on supporting Ukrainian refugees, the future of U.S. and allied defense strategy, existential threats posed by artificial intelligence, and more.
Aug 4, 2023
Commentary
Service Members and Their Families Are Paying for the Air Force's Fiscal Shortfalls
The United States faces the critical task of rebalancing long-term military personnel funding for sustainable workforce development and utilization. Otherwise, it could fail to keep the faith with the U.S. military's most precious asset: people and families.
Jul 31, 2023
Commentary
Making Every Defense Dollar Count in Taiwan
The surging security relationship between the United States and Taiwan is exposing some long-simmering differences, with questions about Taiwan's defense investments atop Washington's list of concerns.
Jul 24, 2023
Report
Funding Global Health Engagement to Support the Geographic Combatant Commands
The authors identify the evolving global health engagement (GHE) priorities of five of the six geographic commands and the challenges they face supporting their combatant command objectives with current funding sources for GHE activities.
Jul 11, 2023
Report
Assessing Technology Platforms for Global Health Engagement to Support Integration of Efforts Across Geographic Combatant Commands
The authors assess the technology and process requirements to support the life cycle of global health engagement (GHE) activities and assessments — from planning to evaluation — and the information- and knowledge-sharing needs of the GHE community.
Jul 11, 2023
Journal Article
Coast Guard Operations: Emerging Challenges and Responses
Coast guards around the globe face a tremendous confluence of challenges. By anticipating these challenges and finding ways to overcome them, coastguards around the globe can continue to protect both people at sea and the maritime environment.
May 19, 2023
Report
A History of the Strategic Implications of the Great Recession and Its Aftermath on U.S. National Defense
The authors discuss the Great Recession's reverberations, and especially the emergence of a focus on deficit reduction, on the Department of Defense as leaders worked to shift focus amid a dynamic threat environment and budgetary uncertainty.
Apr 25, 2023
Commentary
Japan's New Security Policies: A Long Road to Full Implementation
The historic ambition contained within Japan's new defense strategies is notable. But the reality is that an extraordinary alignment of political, economic, fiscal, and other stars will be necessary for Japan's government to fully implement their stated ambitions over the next five to ten years.
Mar 27, 2023
Commentary
Why Is China Strengthening Its Military? It's Not All About War
China's military modernization goals serve a variety of political and military purposes, none of which imply any intent to actually start a war. A grasp of the myriad drivers could help observers more accurately assess the danger posed by the PLA's modernization.
Mar 24, 2023

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Researcher Spotlight

Victoria A. Greenfield

Senior Economist

Victoria Greenfield (she/her) is a senior economist at the RAND Corporation, and faculty affiliate with the Department of Criminology, Law and Society, George Mason University. At RAND, she specializes in national security and international social and economic issues, including transnational…
Drake Warren

Policy Researcher

Drake Warren is a policy researcher at the RAND Corporation. His research interests span several areas of national security. Throughout his career, much of his work has focused on management of national security organizations, especially in their research, development, test, and evaluation…

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