The bill pays particular attention to how the Pentagon manages its substantial budget and implements numerous provisions designed to streamline work, expand the ability of decision makers to access accurate and comprehensive data, and improve the Pentagon’s planning and budget development process. In addition, the bill takes steps to make the process more transparent and accountable to Congress and the American people.
- Encourages DOD to expand its use of mission-based budgeting and to use modern data visualization tools, which will provide better visibility and facilitate better, more rapid decision-making,
- Directs the Comptroller to deliver a report on information systems integral to managing and sharing data relating to the Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution process – including discrete IT systems used to manage and share programming and budgeting data throughout DOD,
- Requires the Secretary of Defense to deliver a report detailing changes to the budgets of agencies not under control of a military department, including programs affected by a Defense-Wide Review 2.0, with the submission of the FY22 budget request, with the goal of increasing congressional oversight and establishing a baseline for reports on defense-wide reviews,
- Encourages the Department to ensure that its budget more accurately reflects the actual budget of each military service,
- Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit an annual report on the enterprise business operations of the department, including a budget for enterprise business operations of each defense agency and field activities,
- Ensures continued DOD adherence to the annual financial audit schedule.
That was from the Senate Armed Services Committee draft overview of the FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act. The pairing of more flexible budget and greater transparency is both possible and desirable. Glad to see the SASC working in this important area.
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