| This thesis discusses the Quadrennial Defense Review. As directed by Congress in 1996, the Department of Defense (DoD) is required to conduct this sweeping review every four years. Dissatisfied with the post-Cold War defense reviews that were conducted in the early 1990s, Congress intended the QDR to be a thorough, periodic assessment of what DoD was doing and why. Manpower levels, spending patterns, global strategy, force structure, and modernization plans are all assessed during the sweeping QDR effort that takes place every four years. So comprehensive is the QDR effort that a large number of DoD officials, military personnel, as well as supporting contractors and analysts are consumed by the event for months. In 2000 Congress made the QDR a regularly recurring requirement for DoD. Unless the Congress changes the legislation, DoD must conduct a QDR every four years and report to Congress the results of the assessment.;That the QDR is a major effort for DoD is clear. Whether the QDR is meeting the expectations of Congress is, however, questionable. Two QDRs have been conducted thus far; in 1997 and 2001. During and after both QDRs there was considerable criticism by members of Congress, some officials in the Executive Branch, and outside defense experts. This criticism largely focused on whether much, if any, change actually resulted from the QDR effort, and whether Congress's intent was being met. This criticism of the QDR process helped motivate this research and resulted in the research question: Is the QDR process producing the resource and strategy review that Congress intended? .;The dissertation covers a wide range of topics. First, the background of the QDR is described. The next portion of the dissertation examines the key players in the QDR process. The next chapter reviews organizational theory. How the QDR was conducted and the results of the first two reviews are described in Chapter 5. Based on the results of the QDR described in the previous chapter, Chapter 6 harks back to organizational theory to see which aspects of theory are most applicable to the QDR. In the final chapter, conclusions and recommendations are provided. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
