BACKGROUNDER
No. 3770 | MAY 26, 2023
CENTER FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE
This paper, in its entirety, can be found at https://report.heritage.org/bg3770
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Nothing written here is to be construed as necessarily reflecting the views of The Heritage Foundation or as an attempt to aid or hinder the passage of any bill before Congress.
Defense Dollars Saved Through
Reforms Can Boost the Military’s
Lethality and Capacity
Thomas Spoehr and Wilson Beaver
Congress should prioritize the funding
of direct military capability to make the
American people safer and to ensure their
tax dollars are not being squandered.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The annual NDAA should undergo a
careful review to find defense savings and
eciencies.
The DOD and congressional oversight
should find eciencies within the defense
budget to ensure that taxpayers’ dollars
are being allocated responsibly.
C
ongress faces a dilemma in 2023 to properly
resource defense programs for fiscal year (FY)
2024 and beyond to counter China and other
high-priority threats to U.S. interests while reducing
annual deficit spending in the wake of decades of reck-
less federal expenditures over the past three decades.
Every dollar that can be saved in the existing defense
budget is one that can be applied to increasing the
lethality and eectiveness of the Armed Forces and
achieving related government priorities.
Towards that goal, The Heritage Foundation
and Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise
Institute recently convened a group of experts for
multi-day discussions and examination of the defense
budget to identify eciencies and methods to save
money to build the most capable and lethal force
possible at the best possible price for the American
