Embedded Files
This page brings together key national security strategies, defense policy references, and congressional materials relevant to the fellowship experience. Use these resources to better understand the strategic, legislative, and budget environment in which Fellows operate.
The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) sets defense policy, authorities, programs, and recommended funding levels, while the Defense Appropriations Act provides the actual budget authority that allows the Department of Defense to spend money.
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New products are regularly produced to anticipate and respond to issues of interest to Congress on a timely basis.
CRS is a great resource for anyone looking to better understand a multitude of topics as it relates to Congress. Go to the below CRS Product Search and search Defense Primer or a topic of your choosing!
The files on the Under Secretary of War Comptroller Budget Materials Page fits together like a pyramid, from a broad high-level narrative down into granular line-item spreadsheets.
The official data from the webpage breaks down as follows, grouped by how they connect to one another:
1. The Rollout (High-Level Summaries)
Press Release & Budget Briefing: These are the introductory slide decks and announcements used on day one. Think total dollar figures and strategic focus areas.
The Overview Book: This is a narrative-driven document explaining why money is being requested. It bridges strategic defense strategy with the financial requests.
2. The Summary Documents (Analytical Tools)
Program Acquisition Costs by Weapons System: This book strips away general administrative costs to focus strictly on major machinery. It aggregates funding across branches.
The Green Book (National Defense Budget Estimates): Published slightly after the initial release, the Green Book serves as an indispensable tool for economic analysts. It translates the current budget request into historical context.
3. The Core Appropriations Books (The Alpha-Numeric Codes)
These documents itemize requests by specialized federal funding classifications, mapping directly to how Congress votes on appropriations:
M-1 (Military Personnel): Covers pay, allowances, healthcare, and moving costs for service members.
O-1 (Operations and Maintenance): Details day-to-day funding for training exercises, fuel, base operations, and immediate readiness.
P-1 (Procurement): Captures the purchasing power for physical items that are already past development - ranging from ammunition to bulk orders of vehicles.
R-1 (Research, Development, Test & Evaluation): Funds future technologies, software updates, scientific research, and early-stage experimental weapons system testing.
4. Service-Specific Justification Books (The Ultimate Detail)
At the bottom of the portal, you will see links routing to individual military branches (e.g., Army, Navy, Air Force). These lead to massive multi-volume Justification Books aka J Books. If an R-1 or P-1 document mentions a broad line-item cost, the Justification Book is where you find the exact breakdown of cost-per-unit, testing schedules, and contractor timelines.
The Senior Enlisted Leaders of each service testify annually before Congress on critical issues facing service members and their families, such as housing, childcare, healthcare, and compensation. These sessions provide lawmakers with direct, ground-level insight into military morale and hardships, allowing them to shape the annual defense budget and policy legislation to address these systemic problems.
The Daily Punch is a weekday morning podcast delivering fast-paced, non-partisan analysis of Washington politics
Each short episode takes listeners inside Capitol Hill and the White House to break down crucial legislative battles, campaign strategies, and key political players.
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