Defense Budget Counts on Drawdown in Iraq, Afghanistan

[ProSense]

Defense Budget Counts on Drawdown in Iraq, Afghanistan

By NATHAN HODGE

The Obama administration is counting on a sharp drawdown in troops in Iraq and Afghanistan in the coming year in order to achieve a first since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks: a decrease in the overall level of defense spending.

All told, the president's budget plan for the Defense Department anticipates fiscal 2012 military spending levels of around $671 billion, a drop from the previous year's total spending request of $708 billion to fund the ongoing wars and cover the Pentagon's core operating budget.

President Barack Obama has proposed a fiscal 2012 base budget request for the Defense Department of $553 billion, slightly above the $549 billion requested last year. Because Congress has yet to pass a defense appropriations bill, the request represents an increase of $22 billion above currently appropriated levels.

On top of that, the administration also plans to seek around $118 billion in wartime spending—referred to in Washington parlance as "overseas contingency operations"—to fund the campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq. Military operations in Afghanistan are projected to cost $107 billion. In Iraq, they will cost $11 billion. The wartime-spending request is a significant drop over the previous year's wartime-funding levels. For fiscal 2011, the administration estimated wartime costs of around $159 billion.

more

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.