Defense--How Much Will It Cost?

The article focuses on efforts to accurately forecast expenditures for the U.S. Defense Department and how this forecasting method can be used in business. It states that the Defense Department used to develop its force structure by starting with a budget first and then determining what programs that budget would allow. It suggests that by determining an overall strategy and fitting hardware and manpower to the objectives, that the system would result in strategic groupings that remove duplication between branches of the armed services and thus save money. It utilizes this process in creating a national security plan to protect the U.S. nuclear strike force from possible Communist attack.