Lanterna Rally

Author: James J. Hogan

Publisher:

Published: 1982

Total Pages: 123

ISBN-13:

The approach to examining this issue is to explore first the relationship of the total Federal budget to the national economy in an effort to find the reasonable limits of the overall Federal program. This examination includes a brief analysis of the Federal budget structure along with budget projections. DOD budget planning is then examined with particular attention to the force structure in the aftermath of Vietnam. This is followed by a discussion of the actual planning process and how that process has been translated into forces in previous budgets. This leads to consideration of the costs associated with deviation from plans. These additional budget drains may be direct economic costs, indirect second-order costs, or a combination of both. Finally, this study offers some considerations that may be useful in improving the DOD budget planning process. Although the reader may perceive an atmosphere of skepticism and certainly caution regarding the probability of large and sustained increases in the budget, he will find that no attempt is made to forecast the size of future DOD budgets. On the contrary, this paper attempts to examine what conditions within the domestic economy and the Federal budget structure may interfere with a DOD plan based on large and sustained increases in its budget and how to avoid some of the costs that are likely to be incurred in the event of such interference.