Defense and National Security
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CBO periodically publishes a reference volume, often referred to as “Budget Options,” that includes dozens of policy options to reduce federal budget deficits. Those options are derived from a broad spectrum of sources and represent a range of ways to reduce spending or increase revenues. The options are illustrative, and CBO’s reports do not make recommendations. CBO also prepares analytic reports that examine specific federal programs, aspects of the tax code, and budgetary and economic challenges. Most of these reports present a set of options for changes in the programs or tax rules being examined. A list of some recent reports with options related to this topic is below. Visit CBO’s Reports with Policy Options page for a list of all recent reports with policy options.
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Report
Scanning and Imaging Shipping Containers Overseas: Costs and Alternatives
June 2, 2016Scanning and imaging all U.S.-bound shipping containers at overseas ports would cost $12 billion to $32 billion over 10 years, CBO estimates. Boosting the number of containers imaged at U.S. ports instead would cost considerably less.
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Replacing Military Personnel in Support Positions With Civilian Employees
December 2, 2015The Defense Department could cut federal costs by replacing some military personnel in support positions with civilian employees. If DoD replaced 80,000 military personnel, it could eventually save $3.1 billion to $5.7 billion annually.
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Preserving the Navy’s Forward Presence With a Smaller Fleet
March 13, 2015The Navy can sustain its forward presence under smaller shipbuilding budgets by using longer deployments, more overseas basing, and more rotating crews. But those methods would offset some of the savings and have other disadvantages.
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Veterans' Disability Compensation: Trends and Policy Options
August 7, 2014From 2000 to 2013, the number of veterans receiving VA disability payments rose by nearly 55 percent, and spending for those benefits almost tripled. How might changes in VA’s disability compensation program affect the federal budget?
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Approaches to Reducing Federal Spending on Military Health Care
January 16, 2014Between 2000 and 2012, the cost of providing health care to service members, retirees, and their families increased by 130 percent (after adjusting for inflation). What approaches might curtail the growth in those costs?
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The Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle Program and Alternatives
April 2, 2013CBO compares the Army’s plan for the GCV with four options and finds that, although no option would meet all of the Army’s goals, all are likely to be less costly and pose a smaller risk of delay than CBO expects for the Army’s plan.
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Approaches for Scaling Back the Defense Department’s Budget Plans
March 18, 2013The costs of the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) budget plans through 2021 would be much higher than the funding permitted under the Budget Control Act’s statutory caps. CBO examined four options to cut back on DoD’s forces and activities.
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Costs of Military Pay and Benefits in the Defense Budget
November 14, 2012For fiscal year 2013, the Department of Defense (DoD) requested about $150 billion to fund the pay and benefits of current and retired members of the military. That amount is more than one-quarter of DoD’s total base budget request.
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Report
Energy Security in the United States
May 9, 2012Improving energy security—the ability of U.S. households and businesses to accommodate disruptions of supply in energy markets—requires considering policies related to the nation’s supply of and demand for oil.
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Report
The Global Positioning System for Military Users: Current Modernization Plans and Alternatives
October 28, 2011Analysis by CBO indicates that an alternative approach would be less expensive than DoD’s plan for upgrading its constellation of GPS satellites.