How do I peer respond to Whitney and ask a question:

Good afternoon, Class, and Professor,

The Resource Allocation Process

The overarching framework that defines resource allocation within the Department of Defense (DoD) is called the PPBE and is named by the four phases which are planning, programming, budget, and execution process. The DoD discretionary budget authority for 2023 reached an astounding $851.7 billion, which represents half of the entire federal budget (GovFacts, 2025). According to the United Nations, there are roughly 8.2 billion people on earth. If my "girl math" is correct, that means that every year the US Government spends enough money to give every human on earth $103.86. That is $851,700,000,000 / $8,200,000,000. Let that sink in. I am NOT a socialist or saying we should do that, just making a relatable comparison for fun.

During the planning phase (phase 01) a feasibility study is conducted which includes assessments like a rough order of magnitude, a high-level cost estimate, risk assessment, and market analysis, all which help determine if the effort is worth the investment (AcqNotes, 2024). During the programming phase (phase 02) courses of action (COAs) are examined, documented and presented to inform authoritative decision makers of the options for solutions to the problem the program aims to address. By researching and presenting solution alternatives, leadership can determine which route fits their interests the most according to the risk profile they prefer to accept by approving the program. During the budgeting phase (phase 03) Comptrollers evaluate the budget to ensure the necessary funding to complete the work is provisioned. The output upon completion of phase three is the finalized defense budget that gets included in the annually required President's Budget, which is then submitted to Congress for review and adjudication, and ideally an approval. There is an entire sub-process that exists between phases three and the start of four, whereby the necessary vendor contractors are identified through an RFI to RFP process, and the contract is awarded, which includes task orders for the various programs of work. Once that happens, then the work begins. During execution, the fourth and final phase (phase 04), the program work is executed- typically by contractors who work in tandem and in consultation with Government representatives or leads.

Of the four phases in the PPBE process, I think phase one is by far the most important phase. My stance on this is backed by research documenting that under evaluated and under-estimated programs are a major source for Government waste, as programs are presented for potentially one cost then end up surpassing that estimate by leaps and bounds. In 2022, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) conducted a study of defense acquisition programs and found that implementing a preliminary design review before launching a new project could save 36% in growth costs and would reduce schedule slippage by up to 36% (DefenseOne, 2022). Those are staggering numbers to consider. If you applied this to DoD spending, we would see significant improvement in Government spending on new programs, or enhancements to existing programs.

Three Major Stages of the Defense Budget Process

PPBE is the first major stage of the broader budget cycle. The two other major phases are congressional enactment then budget execution and audit. During the congressional enactment phase the legislative branch is involved once DoD submits its annual defense budget (DASD(NM), 2020). From there, Congressional committees (Armed Services and Appropriations) review, amend, and ultimately authorize and appropriate funding through a series of bills: authorization bills (e.g., National Defense Authorization Act) set legal limits and policy; appropriations bills provide actual funding. Congress may reduce, increase, or add new priorities based on oversight and political considerations. During the third phase funds are allocated, obligated, and expended. The execution may be tracked using tools like the Execution Review, Selected Acquisition Reports (SARs), and Earned Value Management (EVM). Some obvious issues with these processes is that they can be extremely bureaucratic and difficult to complete, often taking much longer than anticipated, which circles back to the original problem of the gargantuan size of the defense budget. Ultimately, a modern overhaul of these processes and procedures would benefit everyone involved.

References

AcqNotes. (n.d.) DoD Office Cost Estimate. AcqNotes. The Defense Acquisition Encyclopedia. https://acqnotes.com/acqnote/tasks/dod-office-cost-estimatecost-esimate

AcqNotes. (n.d.) PPBE Process. AcqNotes. The Defense Acquisition Encyclopedia. https://acqnotes.com/acqnote/acquisitions/ppbe-overview

GovFacts. (2025). Understanding the DoD Budget Process. GovFacts.

https://govfacts.org/federal/defense/understanding-the-dod-budget-process/

DASD(NM). (2020). Chapter 16 - Budgeting Process. Nuclear Matters Handbook.

https://www.acq.osd.mil/ncbdp/nm/NMHB2020rev/

Tucker, P. (2022, June 9). More Reality Checks Could Help Keep DOD Programs on Time and

Budget, GAO Says. Defense One. https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2022/06/more-reality-checks-could-help-keep-dod-programs-time-and-budget-gao-says/367973/

-Whitney