WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Representatives Adam Smith (D-WA) and Mike Rogers (R-AL), Ranking Member and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, released the following statement in response to the release of the final report by the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution (PPBE) Reform.

“Maintaining our national security requires innovation and agility, something the current defense resourcing process makes structurally difficult. Over the past 24 months, the Commission on Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution undertook a critically important assessment of potential reforms to the defense resourcing process that could unlock more agile defense modernization and a more cohesive alignment of strategy and resources. This report includes numerous recommendations for achieving meaningful reform that better supports our defense industrial base and military. We thank the Commission for its efforts and look forward to working with the Department of Defense and other key stakeholders on the implementation of these timely and much-needed reforms as part of our efforts to further strengthen our national defense.” 

Background:
  • Congress created the PPBE Commission in the FY 2022 National Defense Authorization Act to conduct a comprehensive examination of the Department of Defense’s planning, programming, budgeting, and execution process.
  • The PPBE Commission concluded that a new approach to the defense resourcing process is required to better maintain the security of the American people. The Commission is recommending significant reforms that will help bring defense resourcing into the 21st century. Examples of the recommended reforms include:
    • Replacement of the existing PPBE process
    • Transformation of the budget structure and consolidation of certain activities
    • Strengthening and updating internal Department of Defense processes
  • The Commission’s recommendations are designed to create a process that enables strategy to drive resource allocation in a more rigorous, joint, and analytically informed way. The new process should also enable DoD to respond more effectively to emerging threats and leverage technological advances.

The full report can be found here.

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