Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
I budgeted in the Pentagon,
I budgeted night and day;
I budgeted through mile-long slides
Where numbers ran astray.
Every color had a rulebook,
Every rulebook had a tone—
For the colors of money steer the force,
Each lane its own.
O&M spins round and round,
Keeps broken gear from staying down.
MILPER pays the ranks we keep,
From first formation to the deep.
RDT&E dreams far ahead,
PROC buys hardware built to spread,
And MILCON builds the buildings strong,
Where Soldiers train and live along.
O&M keeps the lights turned on,
And fixes what won’t start—
Fuel and parts and patch-up jobs,
The logisticians’ art.
But try to buy a weapon with it?
Auditors appear—
“Wrong color, friend, that’s PROC you want;
This line is clear.”
O&M spins round and round,
Keeps broken gear from staying down.
MILPER pays the ranks we keep,
From first formation to the deep.
RDT&E dreams far ahead,
PROC buys hardware built to spread,
And MILCON builds the buildings strong,
Where Soldiers train and live along.
MILPER funds the paychecks
So the formations stand their ground—
Moves, allowances, bonuses,
Everything manpower-bound.
But try to purchase missiles with it?
Congress loudly cries—
“You don’t pay troops with gear,
And gear won’t mobilize!”
RDT&E is testing land,
Where prototypes begin—
Where engineers chase future needs
To help the force win.
Some gadgets break by Tuesday,
Some shine a year from now—
But every lesson shapes the fight,
If we track the how.
Now Procurement funds the big buys—
The systems built to last.
From vehicles to comms and more,
It outfits every task.
But sweep the floor with PROC funds?
The comptroller will bark:
“Those dollars buy the warfighting kit,
Not janitorial spark!”
MILCON shapes the footprint
Where training marches on—
Ranges, barracks, motor pools,
Foundations set in stone.
But buy a tank with MILCON cash?
That’s a firm “no way”—
“You build the base, you don’t buy the fight,
With construction pay.”
O&M spins round and round,
Keeps all the engines off the ground.
MILPER pays the people through,
RDT&E dreams something new.
PROC equips the force each day,
And MILCON builds the place to stay—
Five colors strong, the DoD way,
Guiding missions every day.
#army #O&M #appropriations #funding #MILCON #CGSC #money #MILPER
I budgeted in the Pentagon,
I budgeted night and day;
I budgeted through mile-long slides
Where numbers ran astray.
Every color had a rulebook,
Every rulebook had a tone—
For the colors of money steer the force,
Each lane its own.
O&M spins round and round,
Keeps broken gear from staying down.
MILPER pays the ranks we keep,
From first formation to the deep.
RDT&E dreams far ahead,
PROC buys hardware built to spread,
And MILCON builds the buildings strong,
Where Soldiers train and live along.
O&M keeps the lights turned on,
And fixes what won’t start—
Fuel and parts and patch-up jobs,
The logisticians’ art.
But try to buy a weapon with it?
Auditors appear—
“Wrong color, friend, that’s PROC you want;
This line is clear.”
O&M spins round and round,
Keeps broken gear from staying down.
MILPER pays the ranks we keep,
From first formation to the deep.
RDT&E dreams far ahead,
PROC buys hardware built to spread,
And MILCON builds the buildings strong,
Where Soldiers train and live along.
MILPER funds the paychecks
So the formations stand their ground—
Moves, allowances, bonuses,
Everything manpower-bound.
But try to purchase missiles with it?
Congress loudly cries—
“You don’t pay troops with gear,
And gear won’t mobilize!”
RDT&E is testing land,
Where prototypes begin—
Where engineers chase future needs
To help the force win.
Some gadgets break by Tuesday,
Some shine a year from now—
But every lesson shapes the fight,
If we track the how.
Now Procurement funds the big buys—
The systems built to last.
From vehicles to comms and more,
It outfits every task.
But sweep the floor with PROC funds?
The comptroller will bark:
“Those dollars buy the warfighting kit,
Not janitorial spark!”
MILCON shapes the footprint
Where training marches on—
Ranges, barracks, motor pools,
Foundations set in stone.
But buy a tank with MILCON cash?
That’s a firm “no way”—
“You build the base, you don’t buy the fight,
With construction pay.”
O&M spins round and round,
Keeps all the engines off the ground.
MILPER pays the people through,
RDT&E dreams something new.
PROC equips the force each day,
And MILCON builds the place to stay—
Five colors strong, the DoD way,
Guiding missions every day.
#army #O&M #appropriations #funding #MILCON #CGSC #money #MILPER
