Defense Budgets and Civilian Oversight, Occasional Paper #9
Abstract
As countries democratize, newly-elected governments find that they must quickly
assert control over the budget, especially the defense budget, if they are to meet their
policy goals for all sectors and assert civilian control over the military. Fiscally, the
process by which budget decisions are made should be structured so that defense
spending does not “break the bank” by exceeding the government’s capacity to pay.
Sectorally, defense should compete with other government ministries so that the final
overall budget is a monetary expression of the priorities of the nation, its choice between
“guns and butter.” Within the defense sector, the allocation of resources for training,
personnel, and equipment should reflect the roles and missions for the armed forces
established during a process of national security planning. Finally, the power of the purse
provides civilians with a key lever of control over the military: government preferences
are more likely to be taken into account when they are backed by the provision or
withholding of resources.
Description
Occasional Paper # 9
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Related items
Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.
-
An analysis of the departments of the Air Force, Army, and Navy budget offices and budget processes
Taylor, Brian R. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2002-12);The objective of each of the budget offices of the Departments of the Air Force, Army, and Navy is to create a budget request to be submitted to the Secretary of Defense for incorporation in the President's Budget. The ... -
Performance based budgeting a model for the Indonesian DoD
Syukri, Hendri. (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 2005-06);A dramatic increase in the past three years in the Indonesian defense budget, from approximately US $800 million (FY2002$) in 2002 to approximately US $2.4 billion (FY2005$) in 2005, has created the need for the Indonesian ... -
The effects of the financial crisis on the military in Thailand
Navanugraha, Chonlathis (Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 1999-06);This thesis investigates the effects of the Thai financial crisis on the Thai military from the fiscal budget allocation aspect. The thesis explores the changes in the expenditure reduction pattern during four years of the ...