Military Cost Culture Summary

Instilling a cost-conscious culture into the U.S. military

Given its worldwide interests, responsibilities, and commitments in the more volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, the U.S. needs to dispose a sufficient budget on defense to ensure promoting national interests and fulfilling international obligations. However, slow growth of the nation’s economy and high percentage of deficit require the Department of Defense (henceforth DoD) to fulfill its missions in more economic manner, in other words, do more or same with less.

Instituting a cost-conscience culture is essential for national security professionals due to its impact on strategic level ramification. At the strategic level, leaders and professionals have responsibilities of formulating ways and means to achieve national objectives (ends). Since 2011, the U.S. defense budget has decreased nearly 20 percent according to

Kotter’s “common errors to organizational change efforts.” They are ‘allowing too much complacency, underestimating the power of vision, permitting obstacles to block new approach.’ First, allowing excessive complacency is one of main drivers for unsuccessful instillation of any new culture into organizational culture. President Obama’s promise to keep the Armed Forces the best in history allows defense leaders to lessen their determination to the cost culture. Secondly, the strategic leaders underestimated the power of vison which guides guide military leaders and personnel to consider their actions with regard to culture of savings accordingly. Thirdly, without a clear vision which includes some consideration of cost culture and with too much satisfaction, some senior leaders, like General Ward, are blocking the culture to persist and sustain. In general, there are challenges thwarting the cost culture to become an integral part of culture of the U.S.