Most of the decisions reflected in the annual defense budget have been<br >made in prior years. Unless these decisions are periodically reviewed<br >and challenged， the budgetary changes that can realistically be expected<br >in any given year are bound to be limited. Because such reviews are<br >complex and often divisive， Congress and public debate tend to focus<br >on marginal adjustments to administration proposals. The threats to<br >U.S. security， the basic force structure， and the overall composition<br >of the defense effort rarely come under review.<br > Under most conditions， the incremental approach to defense plan-<br >ning maY be acceptable as well as politically realistic. However， a<br >number of factors now warrant a more fundamental review. Unusually<br >large increases in the defense budget over the past three years，<br >especially in defense investment， and unusually large federal deficits<br >make the currently projected path of the defense effort difficult if not<br >impossible to follow. At some point major changes of direction will<br >be irresistible. If not anticipated and intelligently designed， the changes<br >are likely to damage the defense effort. For these reasons， it is<br >important to identify the major defense issues and encourage public<br >debate. That is the purpose of this volume.<br > Funding for this study was provided in part by the Ford Foundation<br >under a grant supporting national security studies at Brookings. The<br >views expressed are those of the author and should not be ascribed to<br >the Ford Foundation or to the trustees， officers， or other staff members<br >of the Brookings Institution.<br >