The Army and Defense Resource Allocation: The Bronze Medal Ain't Good Enough in a Three-Man Race

Tim Flanagan Lieutenant Colonel

Abstract

This paper examines the current state of the Army’s funding in relation to its needs as well as in relation to its historical proportion of the Department of Defense (DoD) budget. DoD has traditionally allocated the Army approximately a quarter of the overall DoD budget, while the Navy and Air Force have received greater than 30 percent. After examining the possible Army funding options, this paper concludes with recommendations of actions that the Army leadership should take to procure additional funding for the Army.