Node A6 · Acronym decoder
PPBE
Planning, Programming, Budgeting, and Execution
What it actually means
The DoD's resource allocation system — the annual cycle that turns strategy into a five-year program and a budget request, then tracks execution. It runs on a calendar all its own, which is why program offices juggle three fiscal years simultaneously and why "the budget was built two years ago" explains so much.
Where you'll meet it
One of the DoD's three decision systems, alongside JCIDS (requirements) and acquisition.