Secretary of Defense Annual Reports

The Secretary of Defense Annual Report was first issued in 1948, as mandated in Section 202 of the National Security Act of 1947 (Public Law 80-253), the same law that established the position of Secretary of Defense. The report was produced on a semiannual basis until Section 3 of the Department of Defense Reorganization Act of 1958 (Public Law 85-599) directed that the report would be annual beginning in 1959. The report came from the Secretary of Defense and was delivered to Congress and the President to brief them on current conditions in the Department of Defense (DoD). Annual reports contained the Secretary’s analysis of the current national security environment and explained the department’s strategic plans. Each report gave an overview of the fiscal year’s key events, and provided assessments of the budget, the state of the defense industrial base, and military personnel policy. The annual report included reports from the service secretaries. The Secretary of Defense Annual Report was released every year until 2005, when it was ultimately replaced by the first publication of the National Defense Strategy.

The FY 1969-1973 Defense Program & 1969
Defense Budget

FY 1971: Defense Program & Budget

FY 1973: Annual Defense Department Report

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara

Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird

FY 1974: Annual Defense Department Report

FY 1975: Annual Defense Department Report

FY 1976: Annual Defense Department Report

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Elliot Richardson

Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger

FY 1977: Annual Defense Department Report

FY 1978: Department of Defense Annual Report

FY 1979: Department of Defense Annual Report

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

Secretary of Defense Harold Brown

FY 1980: Department of Defense Annual Report

FY 1981: Department of Defense Annual Report

FY 1982: Annual Report to the Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Harold Brown

Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger

FY 1983: Annual Report to the Congress

FY 1984: Annual Report to the Congress

FY 1985: Annual Report to the Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger

FY 1986: Annual Report to the Congress

FY 1987: Annual Report to the Congress

FY 1988: Annual Report to the Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger

FY 1989: Annual Report to the Congress

FY 1990: Annual Report to the President and the Congress

FY 1990 Annual Report to the President and the
Congress (Supplemental)

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Frank Carlucci

Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney

FY 1991: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 1992: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 1993: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Richard Cheney

FY 1994: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 1995: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 1996: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Leslie Aspin

Secretary of Defense William Perry

FY 1997: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 1998: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 1999: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense William Cohen

FY 2000: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 2001: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 2002: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense William Cohen

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

FY 2003: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 2004: Annual Report to the President and the
Congress

FY 2005: Annual Report to the President and the Congress

Full Volume

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld