ASSOCIATION OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY

On top of its $185.5 billion budget request for fiscal 2024, the Army has prepared a supplemental list of $1.93 billion in unfunded priorities.

The so-called wish list of additional spending was provided to Congress under a long-standing request from lawmakers to show how additional funds might be spent.

The 2024 supplemental request is far smaller than last year’s $5.1 billion unfunded priorities list.

The 2024 Army budget doesn’t contain big across-the-board increases, but the $185.5 billion request is enough to take care of the service’s top priorities, Army budget officials said March 23 at an Association of the U.S. Army event.

“All in all, we are very excited about our request,” said Maj. Gen. Mark Bennett, the 32nd director of the Army budget. He described the proposed budget as a “strategy-informed” document that supports the National Defense Strategy with investments for people and transformation programs.

The Association of the U.S. Army, joined by four other military associations, is urging key lawmakers to approve a timely and adequate defense budget to avoid unnecessary disruptions in modernization and people programs.

Army budget experts will discuss the service’s fiscal 2024 budget request March 23 at a Coffee Series event hosted by the Association of the U.S. Army.

The in-person event at AUSA headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, opens at 6:30 a.m. with registration, coffee and networking. The program is scheduled to begin at 7:15 a.m. It is free for military members, government employees and the media. All attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Masks are optional.

The fiscal 2024 defense budget unveiled March 13 includes a 5.2% across-the-board pay increase and an overall $26 billion hike in defense spending.

The Army’s $185.5 billion share, which is $5.6 billion less than the fiscal 2023 budget approved by Congress, covers the service’s priorities, briefers said as the budget was unveiled.

On-time and adequate funding, as well as programs focused on people, modernization and readiness, remain top advocacy efforts for the Association of the U.S. Army.

The White House announced Jan. 31 that the 14th Quadrennial Review of Military Compensation will take a closer look at the adequacy of pay and benefits for dual-income households. 

“The unique factors affecting military household incomes might require structural changes, to include the development of a new benchmark for military compensation,” says a memorandum from President Joe Biden establishing the review. 

From expanding benefits to modernizing its combat forces, the National Guard continues to prioritize its people after a challenging year, the component’s top general said. 

“What does the future look like for our National Guard? What are our priorities going forward? They’re … people, readiness, modernization and reform,” said Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau.

In a new Association of the U.S. Army policy paper, former acting Army Secretary John Whitley highlights the dangers to the Army and the nation from ignoring ground warfare capabilities. 

He’s concerned that current planning and budgeting overlook the vital role ground forces, particularly the U.S. Army, have played in past conflicts and will likely play in the future. 

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has promised fellow Republicans he would roll back federal spending to 2020 levels, which would require a $130 billion cut, or an 8% reduction, in annual appropriations. 

Defense spending is not specifically targeted, but McCarthy and others have spoken of reshaping defense spending and paying for new capabilities and programs by making cuts in other areas. Reducing the federal civilian workforce supporting defense also has been mentioned by lawmakers without providing specifics.