Procurement Cuts to Pay for Troop IncreaseAugust 19, 2009
 President Barack Obama has sent a formal request to Congress seeking to shift about $1 billion in procurement funding in next year's proposed Pentagon budget to pay instead for increased troop levels. The request underscores the administration's determination to raising troop numbers in Afghanistan by increasing troop levels instead of redeploying soldiers at a faster pace. As a result, the U.S. Navy, Marine Corp, Air Force and Army will take a modest hit in their procurement plans, according to an article in the Air Force Times. In a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Obama has asked that funds be reallocated from "lower-priority DoD (Department of Defense) contingency operations' requirements," adding that these items were no longer required because of "changing circumstances," according to the article. The $1 billion would be redirected from procurement to covering the cost of recruiting and training an additional 15,000 soldiers over two years, according to a letter from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The OMB procurement cuts were made with guidance from the services and with approval from Defense secretary Robert Gates. Here is how some of the major cuts will be meted out, according to the Air Force Times article: (Capt. Stephen Barker, released U.S. Army) |
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