The United States Department of Defense has been at the leading edge of procurement, maintenance and fielding of equipment across the gamut of the defense world, with the current budget at $663.8 billion for the 2010 fiscal year and $130 billion requested to support contingency operations overseas. The DOD has grown considerably in spending since 2001, having a base budget grow from the high $200 billion mark to surpass $700 billion in the near future.

Certain changes naturally come with an increase in overall spending, procurement and sustaining the force. Shifts in the flow of funds to units directly impact mission readiness, and this is very much pertinent in the maintenance programs. The global reach of the U.S. armed forces is seen in counterinsurgency operations in the Helmand Province, Afghanistan, to humanitarian assistance missions and training with the North Carolina National Guard and Botswana.

Given the changing times in defense spending and the current events occurring globally, the Office of the Secretary of Defense has been forced to revamp many forms of spending including maintenance programs. John B. Johns serves as the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Maintenance, which encompasses the $80 billion program of DOD maintenance. In this podcast Johns talks about future procurement efforts in the DOD’s maintenance program and what’s in store for future Defence spending.