Defense and National Security
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Presentation
2017 Outlook for Navy Shipbuilding
January 4, 2017Presentation by Eric Labs, CBO’s Senior Analyst for Naval Forces and Weapons, at the 2017 Defense Outlook Forum.
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Report
The U.S. Military’s Force Structure: A Primer
July 29, 2016The U.S. military’s capabilities and budget are determined primarily by its forces. This report describes each type of major combat unit’s structure, function, strengths and limitations, past usage, size, and cost.
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Report
Long-Term Implications of the 2016 Future Years Defense Program
January 14, 2016The Department of Defense’s five-year plan calls for budgets averaging $534 billion (in 2016 dollars) from 2016 through 2020, but they would average $565 billion per year from 2021 through 2030 under the department’s cost assumptions.
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Report
Replacing Military Personnel in Support Positions With Civilian Employees
December 2, 2015The Defense Department could cut federal costs by replacing some military personnel in support positions with civilian employees. If DoD replaced 80,000 military personnel, it could eventually save $3.1 billion to $5.7 billion annually.
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Report
An Analysis of the Navy’s Fiscal Year 2016 Shipbuilding Plan
October 29, 2015CBO estimates that the cost of the Navy’s 2016 shipbuilding plan—an average of about $20 billion per year (adjusted for inflation) over 30 years—would be $4 billion higher than the funding that the Navy has received in recent decades.
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Report
Preserving the Navy’s Forward Presence With a Smaller Fleet
March 13, 2015The Navy can sustain its forward presence under smaller shipbuilding budgets by using longer deployments, more overseas basing, and more rotating crews. But those methods would offset some of the savings and have other disadvantages.
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Report
Projected Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces, 2015 to 2024
January 22, 2015CBO estimates the Administration’s plans for nuclear forces would cost $348 billion over the next decade, close to last year’s estimate. However, projected costs for both the Departments of Defense and Energy have changed somewhat.
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Report
Growth in DoD's Budget From 2000 to 2014
November 20, 2014The Department of Defense’s base budget increased by 31 percent (adjusted for inflation) between 2000 and 2014, mainly because of higher costs for military personnel and operation and maintenance.
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Report
Veterans' Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options
August 7, 2014From 2000 to 2013, the number of veterans receiving VA disability payments rose by nearly 55 percent, and spending for those benefits almost tripled. How might changes in VA’s disability compensation program affect the federal budget?
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Report
Approaches to Reducing Federal Spending on Military Health Care
January 16, 2014Between 2000 and 2012, the cost of providing health care to service members, retirees, and their families increased by 130 percent (after adjusting for inflation). What approaches might curtail the growth in those costs?
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Report
Approaches for Scaling Back the Defense Department’s Budget Plans
March 18, 2013The costs of the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) budget plans through 2021 would be much higher than the funding permitted under the Budget Control Act’s statutory caps. CBO examined four options to cut back on DoD’s forces and activities.
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Report
Costs of Military Pay and Benefits in the Defense Budget
November 14, 2012For fiscal year 2013, the Department of Defense (DoD) requested about $150 billion to fund the pay and benefits of current and retired members of the military. That amount is more than one-quarter of DoD’s total base budget request.