AVOIDING UNSUSTAINABLE DEFENSE RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: LESSONS FROM THE U.S. MILITARY MISSIONS IN AFGHANISTAN
AVOIDING UNSUSTAINABLE DEFENSE RESOURCES MANAGEMENT PRACTICES: LESSONS FROM THE U.S. MILITARY MISSIONS IN AFGHANISTAN

Summary/Abstract: Defense resources management is a complex process aimed at accomplishing the assigned missions while making the optimal use of the limited financial resources. However, its efficiency and sustainability are truly tested when it comes to effects created on the ground. Based on the long-term meaning of sustainability, this paper looks into the recently ended mission of the US military forces in Afghanistan, to discover whether defense resources were properly implied and to identify lessons that could contribute to enhanced sustainable results in the future. Therefore, this paper adopts an exploratory qualitative approach, based on the case study method, which reveals important lessons that should generate future changes, not only in the way resources are planned but also in their sustainable usage. At a time when there are voices that question the agility of the PPBE process, and there is also evidence related to a high level of waste generated in Afghanistan, this paper supports the idea that the way things are done should be reconsidered and raises awareness to look more into the long-term effects of the military decisions.

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