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A Perennial Task with No Finish Line: U.S. Defense Planning and Procurement in 2016

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Posted: January 1st, 2017

How can the military fund its current forces while preparing for the future? There’s no simple answer to such a question. 2016 was a mixed bag for America’s military planning and largest procurement programs.

Readiness assessments for the branches of the armed forces show they are falling behind in key areas. In 2016, the F-35, B-21 Raider, Columbia Class ballistic missile submarine, and Ford class supercarrier all made progress towards development goals or combat readiness, but none without controversy. Be it production delays, poor testing performance, or debates over the high cost of cutting edge technology, the problems faced by these programs underscores the major theme of the U.S.’ defense planning: increasing, competing needs for scarce funding.

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