ABSTRACT
CHAPTER OVERVIEW The classic question in defense policy formation is: “How much defense is enough?” U.S. commitment to defense can be very roughly measured through defense budget figures. The Department of Defense is requesting $663.8 billion for fiscal year 2010, “including $533.8 billion in base funds and $130.0 billion in Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) funds.”1 However, budget figures alone do not answer the question of how much defense is enough. How much we ought to spend is a function of policy debatenamely, what does and what doesn’t the Defense Department do with the fiscal resources, and what ought or ought not be done in terms of defense?
