A Detailed Military Spending Cost Analysis by the CBO to Better Inform Policymakers and the Public In this report, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analyzes the structure and cost of the military from the perspective of major combat units, such as Army brigades, Navy aircraft carrier strike groups, Marine Corps task forces, and Air Force squadrons. CBO allocates most of the O&S budget and DoD's total number of military personnel among major combat units-- and their associated support units and overhead activities--to provide a clearer picture of the size and cost of the major elements of the military's force structure. Such information can help policymakers evaluate proposals to change the structure or budget of the armed forces and better inform the general public. Tables and Figures, including illustrations of equipment,personnel and other data are included to provide an easy method to understand this topic. Related products: .Other reports produced by the U.S. Congressional Budget Office (CBO) can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/agency/237 Paid to Perform: Aligning Total Military Compensation With Talent Management can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-000-01160-5 A Hard Look at Hard Power: Assessing the Defense Capabilities of Key U.S. Allies and Security Partners can be purchased here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-000-01158-3 Gold, Blood, and Power: Finance and War Through the Ages is available for purchase here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-000-01157-5 Do Fewer Resources Mean Less Influence?: A Comparative Historical Case Study of Military Influence in a Time of Austerity can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/sku/008-000-01101-0

The U.S. military can be thought of as a microcosm of American society, bringing in people from diverse backgrounds and history to defend one nation. Military leaders must address the same issues and concerns as those found in the civilian world, including exclusion, segregation, and discrimination. In some cases, the military has led the nation by creating policies of inclusion before civilian laws required them to do so. In other causes, the military has lagged behind the larger society. The goal of this book is to provide an overview of the ways in which diversity has been addressed in the military by providing information about particular forms of diversity including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, and sexuality. Subject matter experts provide their insights into the roles that each of these groups have played in the U.S. armed services as well as the laws, rules, and regulations regarding their participation. Ultimately, the authors utilize this information as a way to better understand military diversity and the unique ways that individuals incorporate the military into their sense identity.

This book provides a basic guide to the US military and will raise questions for further discussion by students and other curious readers. The US Military provides an accessible starting-point for those with a limited knowledge of this institution. Covering a wide range of subject matter, and ending with an extensive list of suggested resources to aid individual study and research, the text is divided into the following chapters: The A, B, Cs Strategy and Doctrine The Military in Action Weapons and Capabilities The Budget This book will be of great interest to students of the US military, US politics, defense studies, and war and conflict studies, and will also be of relevance to journalists, NGO staff and diplomats.

n fiscal year 2015, the Department of Defense (DoD) spent a total of roughly $390 billion on operation and support (O&S) of military units. The O&S budget covers the costs associated with the day-to-day running of units. Those costs include pay and benefits for military personnel, compensation for most civilian employees, health care costs for military and civilian personnel, and the daily expenses of operating a unit, such as equipment maintenance, training, support contractors, and so on. The O&S budget makes up about two-thirds of DoD's total "base" budget, which is the defense budget excluding additional funds provided specifically for wartime operations. (The rest of DoD's base budget is spent on acquiring weapon systems and constructing buildings and other infrastructure.) The size and complexity of the U.S. armed forces can make it difficult to determine how the O&S budget is distributed among units. In this report, the Congressional Budget Office analyzes the structure and cost of the military from the perspective of major combat units, such as Army brigades, Navy aircraft carrier strike groups, Marine Corps task forces, and Air Force squadrons. CBO allocates most of the O&S budget and DoD's total number of military personnel among major combat units- and their associated support units and overhead activities- to provide a clearer picture of the size and cost of the major elements of the military's force structure. Such information can help policymakers evaluate proposals to change the structure or budget of the armed forces. CBO's analysis indicates that major combat units by themselves account for roughly one-quarter of DoD's operation and support costs and contain about one-third of DoD's military personnel. Most of the rest of DoD's O&S costs and military personnel are associated either with units that support major combat units (which CBO considers part of the cost of maintaining fully supported major combat units) or with overhead activities necessary for manning, equipping, and training combat and support units. In addition, the total operating costs associated with a major combat unit include a share of the costs of "defensewide" activities, such as the Defense Health Program, that provide various forms of administrative support to DoD as a whole.

Publisher Fact Sheet Draws upon case studies - including Iraq, Bosnia, Haiti, Somalia, & Lebanon - & suggests political & military guidelines for potential U.S. military interventions ranging from peacekeeping & humanitarian operations to preventative strikes & all-out warfare.