s l i  2 0 0 1    |   s e m i n a r s    |    l o c a t i o n s    |    p h o t o s

The Game: Background and Procedures

The Defense Budget for FY 2002 could be about $300 billion dollars.  The Joint Chiefs of Staff of each of the military services believe that this amount is insufficient to meet current and future military requirements and have requested an additional $10 billion be added to that amount.

The $300 billion dollar request is divided up in the following proportions:

  • Army  25 percent
  • Navy   27 percent
  • Marine Corps    3 percent
  • Air Force  29 percent
  • Sec Defense 14 percent
  • Dept of Energy   2 percent

The $10 billion that the Joint Chiefs has identified has not been categorized according to service and is "up for grabs".  However, because of unexpected increases in the price of energy and oil, the budget surplus that experts had predicted for 2002 will not occur.  Any additional defense spending above $300 billion will either increase the nation's financial deficit or will have to be accommodated by reducing the size of the tax cut planned by President Bush.

Each Service Secretary, and the Secretaries of Defense and Energy will assemble their team in a section of the classroom and discuss the following:

  1. Does the discussion of threat to the U.S. suggest that their organization's role in national security should be expanded or reduced?
  2. Do the assets and missions of their organization make particular contributions that aren't being adequately recognized and should receive more funding?  Are there problems that particular services are experiencing that require special attention and additional funding?
  3. Is the proportion (percentage) of funding allocated to their organization satisfactory or unsatisfactory?  Should it be increased or decreased?  If increased, which service's budget should be decreased to accommodate the change, or should the change be absorbed by approving the Chief's recommendation to add $10 billion — at the cost of the deficit or tax reduction?

After the teams have discussed those issues, the Secretary of each military service will make a short speech outlining any recommendations he or she would make to the Secretary of Defense about whether, how, and why the defense budget should be changed — i.e. the service share should be increased or decreased by what percentage points and why.  The Secretary of Defense will consult with his or her advisors and make a decision about whether and how to change the proportions and/or the level of funding and announce the decision to the class. 

After the Secretary of Defense has announced his decision, the Secretary of Energy will consult with his or her advisors and announce his decision regarding funding for nuclear weapons.

Time permitting, the class will review the process of the game and compare the outcome with their initial thoughts about how the defense budget meets (or doesn't meet) the most important threats to the United States.

Back to National Security Page