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PDA Publications

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Going for Broke: The Budgetary Consequences of Current US Defense Strategy. (printable .pdf version) by Carl Conetta, PDA Briefing Memo #52, 25 October 2011. Shows how the Pentagaon's adoption of more ambitious goals, strategy, and missions after the Cold War led to today's unsustainable defense budgets. Two tables.

• companion piece: The Pentagon's New Mission Set: A Sustainable Choice? (printable .pdf version) by Carl Conetta. An updated and expanded excerpt from the Report of the Task Force on a Unified Security Budget (USB) for the United States, August 2011.

Strategic Adjustment to Sustain the Force: A survey of current proposals. (printable .pdf version) by Charles Knight, PDA Briefing Memo #51, 25 October 2011. A survey of five proposals by independent experts for adjusting US global strategy to new fiscal realities in ways that enhance security while avoiding 'hollowing' of the forces.

Pentagon Cuts in Context: No reason for "doomsday" hysteria. (printable .pdf version)by Carl Conetta. PDA Briefing Memo #50, 11 October 2011. Analyzes the potential impact of the Budget Control Act on the defense budget under different scenarios and compares likely future budget levels to past ones. Two tables.

Pentagon Review Must Aim for More than Modest Cuts in Defense Spending. (printable .pdf version) PDA Briefing Memo #49, 25 April 2011. The President's proposal to trim DoD's future budget plans by 6.5% or $400 billion over 12 years is a modest step. The forthcoming Pentagon review must aim higher in order to achieve sustainability. Two charts summarize past and planned Pentagon budgets.

Continuing Resolution: Congress Goes Easy on DoD. (printable .pdf version) PDA Briefing Memo #48, 17 March 2011. Examines House and Senate allocation of budget cuts to defense and non-defense accounts for 2011 fiscal year.

The Pentagon and Deficit Reduction: FY-2012 Budget Retains Exceptional Level of Defense Spending. (.html version) printable .pdf version) PDA Briefing Memo #47, 1 March 2011. Reviews US military spending plans for 2012-2016 in the context of deficit-reduction efforts and the past 12 years of defense budget growth. The base defense budget is set to grow faster than inflation and will claim a greater proportion of discretionary spending. With 10 tables and charts.

Pentagon Resists Deficit Reduction: Rollback in Planned Budget Falls Far Short of Deficit Reduction Goals - Puts Fiscal Reform at Risk. (printable .pdf version) PDA Briefing Memo #46, 30 January 2011. Examines Defense Secretary Gates' offer to cut $78 billion from defense plans over five years and compares it to fiscal reform proposals that seek much greater savings. Does the Pentagon need a yearly baseline budget above $500 billion? Or do we spend so much because our defense strategy is impractical? Two tables summarize Gates' plan and compare different spending scenarios.