Combat Air Power

Joint Mission Assessments Needed Before Making Program and Budget Decisions Gao ID: T-NSIAD-96-196 June 27, 1996

Despite shrinking defense budgets and the diminished threat posed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Defense Department (DOD) continues to add new planes to its fleet of combat aircraft without having assessed its existing capabilities or the areas that would benefit most from improvements in air power. DOD needs to seek the greatest value in its investment given the projections for future defense spending. The question is whether, in the post-Cold War era, the United States needs, or can afford, the current levels of overlap in air power capabilities. DOD requires better information to decide how to prioritize competing programs, whether programmed investments should continue to be funded, and whether new investments should be made.



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