More Complete "Defense" Spending Numbers

Late last week I tried to explain what is usually missing from DOD's numbers on budget day and where to find more complete and accurate numbers.  Those numbers for 2013 are now available; they are at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2013/assets/32_1.pdf.

 

Also included are the numbers for 2011 and 2012, which have been confused until now; also find there the numbers for the DOD FYDP (2013-2017) and beyond, out to 2022, according to OMB which is the definitive source.  Just for one minor example, the DOD press release at http://www.defense.gov/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=15056 starts out describing "a proposed defense budget of $613.9 billion for fiscal 2013."  As I explained last week (see link below); that's incorrect by about $6.3 billion--more if you count DOD expenses for military retirement and healthcare that is pushed off into other budget functions.  To consider defense and defense-related spending not in the Pentagon's immediate budget, the numbers get larger still.

 

To understand what might be missing from DOD's numbers, see my explanation at http://www.cdi.org/friendlyversion/printversion.cfm?documentID=4715.

 

To see what DOD has just released in greater detail than the press release, see http://comptroller.defense.gov/budget2013.html.

 

The OMB Table 32-1 does not break out the separate DOD funding for the wars ("OCO").  To facilitate any calculations of "base" DOD funding; know that DOD asserted last month that the 2010-2013 amounts (just for DOD funding, not including State or any other) are as follows:

 

2010: $163 billion

2011: $159 billion

2012: $115 billion

2013: $88 billion

 

_____________________________
Winslow T. Wheeler
Director
Straus Military Reform Project
Center for Defense Information
301 791-2397 (home office)
301 221-3897 (cell)