Analysis of the PPBE Process in the Current Dynamic Political Environment

Abstract

The Planning, Programming and Budgeting (PPB) system was introduced in the department of Defense (DoD) in the 1960s in order to link strategies to programs that best satisfy the nation's policy objectives and fit within budget constraints. Over the past 45 years, modifications have been made to the PPB system, and it is now referred to as the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) system, but the original intent of PPB remains intact. Traditionally, wars were initially funded with emergency supplemental funding until the cost of the war could be added into the baseline budget process. The Global War on Terror (GWOT), now in its sixth year, continues to be funded outside the PPBE process through supplemental appropriations. This project identifies and examines the key factors related to this deviation from the PPBE process. The research analyzes the domestic environment in which PPB was originally implemented and the post 9/11 environment in which it currently exists. A comparative analysis is used to determine the reasons for the increased use of supplementals for baseline and GWOT funding in the last six years. The project also identifies the implications of continued deviation from the PPBE process utilizing parallel budgeting processes.