A poisoned chalice?

The crisis in US national security planning, programming, and budgeting is not the fault of any one Administration, and has often been shaped by the mistakes of the US congress and key military commanders. There is no clear or coherent plan, program, or budget that reflects the fact the nation is at war and no credible mix of force plans, modernization plans, and procurement plans for the future. The combined cost of war, steadily rising military manpower costs, the underfunding of operations and maintenance, and a procurement crisis in every service will force the next Administration to reshape almost every aspect of current defense plans, programs, and budgets. This briefing provides an overview of the major issues and trends involved, drawing on data developed by the Department of Defense, Department of State, OMB, the Congressional Budget Office, Congressional Research Office, and General Accountability Office.