Misperceptions over total US defence allocations

摘要

In order to account for defence spending not included in the DoD budget, most US budget analysts follow the so-called 'National Defense' budget function detailed in Office of Management and Budget (OMB) records. This also contains allocations for nuclear weapons-related activities undertaken by the Department of Energy, and items such as the National Defense Stockpile of war-related commodities. However, even annual appropriations under the budget function - which are 'discretionary' appropriations that require annual approval from Congress - do not constitute the total defence allocation for the broader 'National Defense' category. Each year, there is an additional US$6-8bn in 'mandatory' spending (permanent or multi-year appropriations that do not require annual congressional approval) allocated for some military retirement, healthcare and other costs.