Defense Burdensharing

The literature was divided into three perspective views from which a universal definition of burdensharing was proposed. Burdensharing was defined as a process which maximizes the contributions allies make in offsetting US defense expenditures in five categories: 1) defense resource commitment, 2) defensive military forces, 3) crisis and peace operations, 4) economic and financial assistance, and 5) host nation support. Three driving forces behind burdensharing were described: 1) economic, 2) American public opinion, and 3) the 1997 National Defense Authorization Act. Thomas Berger's political-military culture concept was explored as a key predictor of which burdensharing category an ally was most likely to contribute. A burdensharing conceptual model was proposed based on a modified version of the Weaver and Pollock effects based campaign planning model. Recommendations for further research are also provided: 1) Test Burdensharing Conceptual Model, 2) Burdensharing Strategy Analysis Among Planners, and 3) Cataloging Burdensharing Measures.