This collection consists of: Department of Defense Annual Reports (1948-1996) and military service branch Justification of Estimates Books, "J-Books" (1980-1996). The digital collection is based on a large physical reference collection held by the Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Section of the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS works exclusively for Congress. Serial and Government Publications Division, Library of Congress, digitized the collection. It includes approximately 700 items.

The justification books include:

• Justification of Estimates Submitted to Congress, Air Force, 1980-1996
• Justification of Estimates Submitted to Congress, Army, 1980-1996
• Justification of Estimates Submitted to Congress, Navy, 1980-1996
• Justification of Estimates Submitted to Congress, Department of Defense, 1980-1996

Justification books are prepared by federal government agencies as part of the federal budget cycle. They are submitted to the House and Senate appropriations subcommittees with jurisdiction over the particular agency to support the agency's request for funding. Learn more about the appropriations process.

The justification books contain current and comparative budget data. They provide a means of identifying and tracking major Department of Defense programs and related expenses over the years. For example, this collection includes justification documents for information technology; military personnel; operation and maintenance; procurement; and research, development, test and evaluation.

The annual reports in the collection date from 1948, which was the first year that the various branches of the military had been consolidated into one federal department pursuant to the National Security Act of 1947. The collection extends through 1996, after which Defense annual reports began to be available online. The annual reports capture the results of the budgetary allotments and complement the justification books in reporting Department of Defense activities and priorities.