Budget expert, CSBAThe most radioactive elements of the U.S. military budget involve the pay and benefits of military members, retirees and their families. Harrison is one of the few to target those for overhaul, warning in a 2012 report that without change, “military personnel costs will consume the entire defense budget by 2039.” A former Air Force officer, his evaluations of defense programs and spending can greatly boost new initiatives — or raise serious doubts about them.
So, who’s not on the list? Lots of people. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano
didn’t score high enough to break into the top 100.
Neither did Douglas Elmendorf, director of the Congressional Budget Office, or Defense
Department General Counsel Jeh Johnson, whose December resignation sealed his fate.
In the course of a few November days, three people plummeted from the top ranks of the powerful, falling down, and in one case off, the list.
Top editors had just finalized the top 10 for this project when retired Army Gen. David Petraeus abruptly resigned from his job as director of the CIA after admitting to an extramarital affair. The esteemed Petraeus, seen by many as destined for higher office and perhaps even the presidency, had been a fixture in the top 10 from the start.