This analysis provides an estimate of the total.

The US defense budget is at near-record levels today, having grown dramatically since 2000. There is, however, good reason to question whether defense spending will continue to increase over the next two decades, and whether the Defense Department's current long-term plan is affordable. If it is not, the department will have to consider a range of options for eliminating this mismatch between likely future budget levels and the cost of its plans. These options include cutting force structure, slowing the pace of modernization, accepting older equipment, acquiring less costly new systems, and transforming the military to make it more cost-effective.