Reforming Defense Budgeting.

• Position: READERS'FORUM - Letter to the editor

Nathaniel H. Sledge, Jr.'s article "Defense Spending: Today's Broken Budgeting Process Must Change" (November 2010) covers an array of problems attributed to about everything and anything pertaining to the inefficiency of "defense spending."

The original Planning, Programming and Budgeting System (PPBS) was created by Defense Secretary Robert S. McNamara wiz kids. It was an evaluation tool designed and used by private corporations. Along with the introduction of the PPBS, another corporate tool was injected into the defense department. This was the Cost, Schedule, Control System Criteria System, better known as C-square.

As a military acquisition person, we had to provide numerous inputs to these two corporate systems in order to get our programs funded. We tried to abide by annual congressional funding limitations only to receive program cuts after given the go ahead to go to contract. Any sound strategic planning was a just a dream document to speak about and market to congressional committees.

This worthwhile planning document changed as often as the wind. It gave us a snapped picture of the current environment and changed when the threats changed. As military people, we operate with the tools given to us and leave the "Monday morning quarterbacking" until after we retire. To do otherwise while on active status would indeed label us not a team player on our yearly performance reports.

The value of experiences by our retired military veterans should be shared with members of congress to point out the benefits of passing bi-annual budgets. Then our military leaders can do the strategic planning to match congressionally approved defense appropriations to satisfy future military needs. This may be the first step to increase the efficiency of defense spending.

Ronald L. Baker

Springfield, VA

Nathanial H. Sledge's Nov. 2010 article.

Nathanial H. Sledge's Nov. 2010 article on defense spending, "Today's Broken Budgeting Process Must Change," outlines the looming budget crisis in the Defense Department and some of the efforts undertaken by Defense Secretary Robert Gates to address it.

Unfortunately, many of the cost-saving initiatives fail to address the primary area of waste in the federal government, what I would describe as a "spend to budget" culture.

In the private sector, the profit motive drives spending behavior. This results in a culture in which resources are not wasted, thereby leaving larger profit margins. Excess budget left at the...