Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

Name

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

Legal name

Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments

Website

https://csbaonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) is an independent, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) think tank founded in 1983 that produces research and decision-support tools — including the proprietary Strategic Choices Tool (SCT) — on U.S. defense strategy, force structure, and budget allocation for DoD, INDOPACOM, Congress, and allied partners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Contributions and Grants: CSBA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that relies on charitable contributions and grants from foundations, corporations, and individuals to fund its public education mission.
2. Government Contract Revenue: CSBA provides consulting services, facilitation services, and survey services to government agencies through the GSA Professional Services Schedule (Contract Number 47QRAA19D000W). Services include national security strategy and policy, future warfare and concepts, forces and military capabilities, and budget and resource analyses.
3. Strategic Choices Exercises (Fee-based): CSBA offers customized Strategic Choices Exercises as a fee-based service for government agencies, defense industry partners, and academic institutions. These tailored sessions are designed to address organizations' strategic questions and goals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CSBA is an independent, non-partisan think tank that produces rigorous research and analysis on the strategic, operational, and budgetary questions shaping U.S. defense policy. It sells fee-based consulting, facilitation, and survey services to U.S. federal government agencies, allied governments, defense industry partners, and academic institutions, anchored by the proprietary Strategic Choices Tool (SCT) and the China Strategic Choices Tool - web-based analytical platforms used to evaluate force structure and resource allocation trade-offs.

Product overview

CSBA is an independent, nonpartisan think tank that offers a portfolio of analytical tools and research publications focused on defense strategy and national security. Its core product is the Strategic Choices Tool (SCT), a web-based platform for exploring defense resource allocation and force structure decisions. The SCT portfolio includes the China Strategic Choices Tool (focused on PLA modernization) and a Russia Module (for exploring Russian defense pathways). CSBA also offers fee-based Strategic Choices Exercises where analysts facilitate tailored sessions using these tools. Beyond its proprietary tools, CSBA produces extensive research publications including studies on nuclear deterrence, Indo-Pacific strategy, NATO capabilities, defense industrial base, and emerging military technologies such as collaborative combat aircraft. The China Strategic Choices Tool was launched in July 2022, expanding CSBA's analytical capabilities beyond the original U.S.-focused SCT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Choices Tool (SCT) A web-based analytical platform for rebalancing force structures that allows organizations to explore and test how best to align defense strategies with effective allocation of scarce resources. Covers over 1,000 defense assets across 12 categories (air, sea, ground, personnel, readiness, R&D, etc.) for U.S. and allied forces including Australia, Japan, Great Britain, and NATO allies. Users assess alternative force structures and postures, identify areas for investment or divestment, and evaluate the division of labor between the United States and its allies. Supports 100+ concurrent users with remote access.
• China Strategic Choices Tool (China SCT) A user-friendly, web-based application that allows participants to step into the shoes of Chinese statesmen and defense planners to make high-level resourcing and force structure decisions regarding the future of China's military. Uses relative cost estimates to overcome Beijing's opacity on defense spending. Companion to a published methodology report by Jack Bianchi, Madison Creery, Harrison Schramm, and Toshi Yoshihara.
• Russia Module Dedicated module within the Strategic Choices Tool allowing users to step into the role of Russian planners and explore future modernization pathways for Russia. Visualizes move-by-move strategic competition when used with the U.S. and allied tools.
• Strategic Choices Exercises Fee-based, tailored sessions where CSBA analysts work directly with client teams to frame pressing security challenges. Participants use the Strategic Choices Tool to make real investment and divestment decisions under fiscal constraints, simulating two successive Future Year Defense Programs (FYDP). Offered to government agencies, defense industry partners, and academic institutions.
• Federal Consulting and Facilitation Services (GSA Professional Services Schedule) Authorized vendor services sold to U.S. federal agencies under GSA PSS Contract Number 47QRAA19D000W, SIN 874-1 and 874-4, covering national security strategy and policy, future warfare and concepts, forces and military capabilities, and budget and resource analyses. Includes consulting services, facilitation services, and survey services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 defense assets available for analysis across 12 categories in SCT
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heritage Foundation: Heritage Foundation operates a major defense policy program producing analysis on force structure, acquisition, and great power competition that informs Congressional and Executive Branch defense debates alongside CSBA.
• Carnegie Endowment for International Peace: Carnegie Endowment is a global foreign policy research institution with deep programs on Indo-Pacific strategy, nuclear policy, and great power competition — comparable to CSBA in scholarly depth and federal/advisory audience.
• Stimson Center: Stimson Center is a nonpartisan think tank conducting rigorous research on defense strategy, force posture, and emerging security challenges — directly comparable to CSBA in mission and federal-government orientation.
• Atlantic Council: Atlantic Council produces defense and geopolitical analysis with a strong Indo-Pacific and NATO focus, employing senior former officials and producing reports that compete for the same federal and allied government mindshare as CSBA.
• Center for a New American Security (CNAS): CNAS is a Washington-based bipartisan national security and defense policy think tank producing reports on Indo-Pacific deterrence, defense budgets, and force structure — closely mirroring CSBA's subject-matter focus and Congressional/DoD audience.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is the largest and most established U.S. defense and national security research organization, operating FFRDCs and producing federally-contracted analysis on force structure, strategy, and budgets — directly overlapping CSBA's core advisory and research mandate.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): CSIS is one of the most prominent bipartisan defense and international policy think tanks, with deep federal government engagement and major programming on defense strategy, force posture, and Indo-Pacific issues — a direct comparison set for CSBA's strategic analysis work.
• Hudson Institute: Hudson Institute is a defense and foreign policy think tank with notable scholarship on great power competition, defense industrial base, and Indo-Pacific strategy, targeting the same Congressional and DoD policy audience as CSBA.

Broad incumbents

• MITRE Corporation: MITRE operates multiple FFRDCs serving DoD and other federal sponsors with systems engineering and strategic analysis — an established incumbent in the federally-funded defense research ecosystem that overlaps with CSBA's analytical mission at much greater scale.
• Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA): IDA is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) performing deep technical and operational analysis for DoD — a broader and larger incumbent serving the same defense analytical market as CSBA but with a different funding and scale model.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CSBA_
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-strategic-and-budgetary-assessments
• Facebookfacebook.com/CSBAonline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments