Todd Harrison

Todd Harrison

Senior Fellow, Defense Budget Studies

Areas of Expertise

Defense Budgets, Military Compensation, Portfolio Management, Systems Engineering, Military Space Systems, Defense Acquisitions and Defense Industrial Base

Social

Biography

Todd Harrison is the Senior Fellow for Defense Budget Studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.

Mr. Harrison joined CSBA in 2009 from Booz Allen Hamilton, where he supported clients across the Department of Defense, assessing challenges to modernization initiatives and evaluating the performance of acquisition programs. He previously worked in the aerospace industry developing advanced space systems and technologies and served as a captain in the U.S. Air Force Reserves.

Since joining CSBA, Mr. Harrison has authored a number of publications on trends in the overall defense budget, modernization initiatives, the defense industrial base, military personnel costs, and the cost of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya. He frequently contributes to print and broadcast media and has appeared on CNBC, CNN, NPR, Al Jazeera English, and Fox News. He has been a guest lecturer for a number of organizations, including Harvard's Kennedy School of Government, the U.S. Army's School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS), and the National Defense University.

He is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with both a B.S. and an M.S. in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Mr. Harrison combines his budgetary, programmatic and engineering experience with a strong background in systems analysis to lead the Budget Studies program for CSBA. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Author Bibliography for Todd Harrison

Looking Beyond the Fog Bank: Fiscal Challenges Facing Defense

April 5, 2013 • By Todd Harrison

As attention now turns to the FY 2014 budget and the Administration’s much-delayed budget request, the fundamental issues that led to uncertainty and delays in the FY 2013 budget remain unresolved.

What the Fiscal Cliff Deal Means for Defense

January 9, 2013 • By Todd Harrison

Sequestration as it applies to the Department of Defense is altered in important ways by the American Taxpayer Relief Act passed a few weeks ago

Contracting Under Fire: Lessons Learned in Wartime Contracting and Expeditionary Economics

December 18, 2012 • By Todd Harrison and John Speed Meyers

This study assesses the U.S. Expeditionary Economics effort through four case studies: Iraq’s State-Owned Enterprises, Local-First Programs, the National Solidarity Program and Commander’s Emergency Response Programs.

How Can the Defense Department Prepare for Sequestration?

December 3, 2012 • By Todd HarrisonAnalysis

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Todd Harrison goes on Bloomberg Television’s Bottom Line to talk sequestration, the fiscal cliff and his recent report Strategic Choices: Navigating Austerity.

Strategic Choices: Navigating Austerity

November 27, 2012 • By Todd Harrison and Mark Gunzinger

The report is based on the insights developed through a series of exercises that CSBA conducted during the summer of 2012. The exercises sought to inform the debate on the way defense resources are allocated in light of declining budgets, the evolving threat environment and the changing DoD’s priorities.