Read the most recent CSIS research on the U.S. defense budget.
The Biden administration is expected to release its first budget request for FY 2022 in May. While the request was developed predominantly under the previous administration, it will provide some direction as to the national security priorities of the new administration.
The Biden administration will face early decision points regarding the modernization of critical elements of the U.S. nuclear weapons enterprise in an environment buffeted by competing forces and pressures.
The Biden administration will shape its defense plans in the midst of the ongoing Covid-19 threat and historically large federal deficits. Seamus Daniels explores the budget landscape and potential priorities for the new Defense Department leadership.
Austerity hawks who focus overly much on the size of the national debt as an indicator of national security strength are missing the bigger picture. Expected interest rate hikes haven’t materialized, and instead the U.S. is missing opportunities for long-term investment.
Nothing in D.C. has the ability to unite political adversaries like a mutual hatred of the Pentagon’s OCO funding. But eliminating OCO — instead of reforming it — could further imperil the greater transparency and accountability that its detractors seek.
The inability to carry over O&M and MILPERS funding into the fiscal year after they are appropriated encourages year-end spending spikes and negative outcomes. This is a problem Congress can easily fix, writes a former DoD comptroller.
Congress and DoD both agree that the U.S. needs a space-based system of missile tracking sensors. But disagreement over which agency should oversee its development threatens to undercut the project.
Defense budgeting discussions frequently feature all-or-nothing thinking. But considering the marginal costs and benefits of additional spending can lead to better spending decisions.
Seamus Daniels and Kaitlyn Johnson analyze the impact of this month’s stopgap spending bill on defense programs and the Space Force.
This interactive tool from the Defense Budget Analysis program provides a breakdown of the inflation-adjusted federal budget from FY 1976 to FY 2025 by agency and by budget function.