Army's Future and the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Law

摘要

The Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, commonly referredto as the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act, was passed to reduce the federal deficit and meet the challenges facing Congress and the President in maintaining balance between our national goals of economic recovery and a strong defense while keeping a strong commitment for social programs and entitlements. This paper examines these political and economic factors and provides an assessment of the impact G-R-H has had on the defense budget process and the trends that have developed since G-R-H was made law. Additional analysis provides some thoughts on how the Army budget and force structure process must change to accommodate a declining budget. The author concludes that G-R-H must not be allowed to drive the Army's budget and force structure to an end state that does not meet its overall strategic goals and objectives. The paper stresses that G-R-H must not be the primary mechanism to develop defense priorities and strategy. Future political pressures and the demands of G-R-H will have to be countered by well thought out strategies that reflect the realities of domestic and world politics while minimizing the risk we accept in providing a well trained, equipped and ready Army to meet our national security needs. Keywords: Army budgets; Army operations. (edc)