Managing the Defense Family: Unpacking the DoD’s PPB&E Process Through a Family Lens

# Introduction

- Brief overview of the DoD PPB&E process

- PPB&E and JCIDS often get a bad rap for being slow and designed for a bygone era

- Introduce the family analogy

- Mom (Service Secretariats), Dad (DoD Services Staffs), Kids (operational forces, combatant commands)

# The Challenges of Running a Large Family

- Kids constantly want new things (shoes, toys, etc.)

- Mom and Dad must determine what the kids actually need, not just what they want

- The DoD "family" is massive (4 million people)

- Challenges of providing for such a large family (feeding, clothing, educating, employing)

# The Influence of Neighbors

- Kids see other kids in the neighborhood (Xi and Vlad representing China and Russia) with new toys

- They quickly ask Mom to buy them similar items

- Dad has the tough job of validating whether the kids actually need what they're asking for

- The importance of distinguishing between wants and needs

- Financial constraints: what can the family actually afford?

# Budgeting and Planning for a Large Family

- Difficulties of maintaining a household budget for 4-6 people in one house

- The immense challenge of doing the same for 4 million people worldwide

- The risks of giving kids a portion of the paycheck to manage their own needs

- Lack of oversight, coordination, and long-term planning

- Potential for lack of cohesion among family members

- Challenges to DOTMLPF-P (Doctrine, Organization, Training, Materiel, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy) if every kid went off and did their own thing

# The Unique Case of USSOCOM and USCYBERCOM

- USSOCOM and USCYBERCOM have their own budget and acquisition authorities

- They are like a blended family within the larger DoD family

- Trying to satisfy the unique wants and needs of their blended (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps) kids

- Illustrates the complexity of managing resources within the DoD

# The Necessity of the PPB&E Process

- PPB&E and JCIDS ensure proper resource allocation and long-term planning

- Analogous to Mom and Dad making informed decisions for the entire family

- Balancing the needs and wants of different family members (DoD entities)

- Ensuring the family's (DoD's) resources are used effectively and efficiently

# Addressing Criticisms of PPB&E

- Acknowledge common complaints about PPB&E and JCIDS (e.g., "they take too long")

- Explain why a thorough, deliberate process is necessary for such a large, complex organization

- Challenge readers to propose a better system that addresses the unique needs of the DoD

# Conclusion

- Reiterate the importance and value of the PPB&E process

- Emphasize how the family analogy helps illustrate the challenges and necessity of PPB&E

- Encourage readers to appreciate the complexity of managing the DoD's resources and the role of PPB&E in ensuring the organization's effectiveness and efficiency