Barriers to Implementing Strategic Purchasing in the Department of Defense

摘要

One can argue the Department of Defense has always faced a fiscal crisis. Year after year the DoD engages in a 'guns versus butter debate' in competing with other agencies for the defense slice of the budget. The debating then shifts to the internal grappling between the services fighting for their parochial piece of the pie. Simply put, there has never been enough to go around. Subsequently, policymakers have always had to make tough budget decisions. Throughout the 90's following the end of the Cold War, defense budgets were in a steady decline. Between 1990 and 1997 outlays dropped nearly 26% in real terms. Between 1984 and 1998 the defense budget authority declined in real, inflation-adjusted dollars. Over the last five years the budget shows what appears to be a slight increase in defense outlays, but these increases have included increased costs for the Global War on Terrorism, the requirements for maintaining a heightened vigilance, and requirements levied in support of homeland security. In fact, between September 11, 2001 to May 2005 the DoD spent approximately $190B in support of these efforts.