Heritage's Annual Index of Military Strength
The Heritage Foundation posted its 2016 Index of Military Strength. They rate the Army as weak (based on low number of available Brigrade Combat Teams) and all other services as marginal.
Data-driven personnel decisions →
The internal, hierarchical military personnel system requires constant attention.
Large-scale data collection and analysis will eventually provide the armed forces with a far richer understanding of their human capital than has ever been available before, paving the path for the services to take a fresh look at the qualifications and skills necessary for commissioning into the military. How we choose our officers will lay the groundwork for the management of the force of the future. Given the challenges that lie ahead, it is something we cannot afford to get wrong.
Defense Reform Consensus →
Yesterday, the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) hosted a forum to discuss the letter issued by a consortium of think tanks encouraging defense reform. Many speakers mentioned the need for data. It is time for Defense to have a Chief Data Officer and Chief Economist. In addition, DoD needs to remove many of the IT bottlenecks that prevent information gathering and sharing.
FiveThirtyEight calculates the percentage of Americans who have served in the military →
Calculating the percentage of Americans who have served in the military is not a straightforward exercise.
FY14 Budget Documents
You can find the DoD Budget information here: