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20 May 2009
Okay, folks. The Army's budget request for Fiscal Year 2010 that begins Oct. 1 is out in more detail, so now we can look at it and see what we like and what we don’t like. I like to think that I am more of a “glass half full” person so let’s get to what is positive in this budget first.
Military health care – For the first time in four years, the budget fully funds military health care and requests no fee increases. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said last month, “We figure maybe we’ll have a better chance of having a serious dialog with [Capitol] Hill if we go ahead and fund it and then begin the conversation.”
AUSA has successfully fought TRICARE fee increases for the past four years and will continue to oppose them.
End strength – The budget fully funds the planned 65,000 troop increase for the Army. Increasing the Army's end strength has been a long-time goal of AUSA. However, in order to achieve a rebalanced Army, the Association believes the active Army should grow to 700,000 troops. AUSA’s leadership will continue to pass that message to lawmakers.
Pay raise – The budget includes a 2.9 percent pay raise for active and reserve forces. However, key lawmakers have indicated they will provide a 3.4 percent raise for troops, a position that AUSA supports. Also in the budget are an average 6 percent increase in basic allowance for housing and a 5 percent increase in basic allowance for subsistence.
Defense civilians would get just a 2 percent pay hike under the proposal, although key members of Congress representing districts with large numbers of federal civilians already have vowed to provide civilians the same 2010 raise that will go to the military. AUSA strongly supports that effort.
Family support and housing – The budget requests $11 billion to fund military housing and support programs for single and married service members and their families.
In addition to constructing new barracks and family housing and maintaining current units, this includes funding for child care centers and youth programs; morale, welfare, and recreation activities; war fighter and family services; commissaries; DoD schools; and military spouse employment programs.
Caring for wounded, ill and injured service members – The budget requests $3.3 billion to support injured service members in their recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
This funding provides additional case managers and mental health providers, an expedited Disability Evaluation System, construction of 12 additional Army Warrior in Transition complexes, and continued implementation of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and Fort Belvoir hospital BRAC projects within the National Capital Region.
The budget also includes $0.4 billion for medical research and development for traumatic brain injury, psychological health, and other casualty care issues.
Helicopters – The FY 2010 base budget will include an increase of $500 million to field and sustain more helicopters. Because the principal limitation on helicopter capacity is a shortage in maintenance crews and pilots rather than a lack of airframes, the focus will be on recruiting and training more Army helicopter crews.
Special 0perations -- To grow special operations’ capabilities, DoD will increase personnel by more than 2,400 or 4 percent.
Of course, no budget has all good news.
Brigade combat teams -- The proposed budget will cap the growth of Army BCTs at 45 instead of the previously planned 48, while maintaining the planned increase in Army end strength at 547,400.
A budget summary released by the White House suggests that the reduction will ensure better-manned units are ready to deploy; it will help end the routine use of stop loss in the Army; and it will lower the risk of a hollowed force.
Future Combat Systems -- The Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS) program will be significantly restructured. It will change from a core program with spinouts of mature technologies to an incremental program focused on improving infantry BCTs with FCS technologies and replacing the most vulnerable platforms in the heavy BCTs.
By Labor Day, the Army will try to have a "concept proposal" for a program to fill the manned vehicle requirement. They will develop a ground vehicle for today's fight in terms of force protection as well as for tomorrow's fight.
Now, the Army's modernization strategy will now focus on a versatile mix of network BCTs that will leverage mobility, protection, precision and information that can be effective across the full spectrum of combat operations.
Research and development -- Funding decreased to $10.5 billion from $12.1 billion last year.
Looking at the budget as a whole, the Army gets about $142 billion in the base, which is almost 27 percent of the total DoD budget, and $83 billion in the supplemental "overseas contingency operations" request for combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That's about 2 percent less than the $231 billion the service is getting in 2009, including $140 billion in the base budget and $90.8 billion as a supplemental.
Even bad news is not all bad. The Army plans to accelerate spin-outs of mature FCS systems to all 73 brigade combat teams (BCTs), not just the 15 brigade combat teams originally planned, Stanton said. The 73 include brigade combat teams in the Army National Guard.
That said, I am concerned that there is danger ahead for the defense budget in general and the Army budget specifically. DoD officials have said that plans for 2011 will depend on the results of the Quadrennial Defense Review that's going on now, as well as the Fiscal 2011 Program and Budget Review.
So AUSA will monitor the budget process and speak out where we believe that our members’ interests and our Army’s interests are not being served.
While we remain vigilant here, there are hundreds of thousands of our fellow Americans around the world keeping watch so our nation can remain secure. As we approach Memorial Day when we honor the memory of those who have died in our nation’s service, I ask that you reflect on the selfless and loyal service of our Armed Services each and every day – service marked with honor and courage and exemplary of our values as an Army and as Americans – and remember to thank them and pray for them. |