The Obama administration on Monday sent Congress a $5.6 billion budget amendment, including $5 billion for the Defense Department, to fund war-related operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The request, which includes $520 million for the State Department and other International Programs, is in addition to the $58.6 billion and $7.3 billion the administration requested in June, respectively, for DoD and the DoS/OIP to fund Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) related to the administration’s battle against ISIL. The overall amount of OCO funds requested for DoD in FY ’15 are still $15.8 billion less than the $79.4 billion placeholder contained in the FY ’15 budget request earlier this year, President Barack Obama stated in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
“The approach to counter ISIL has evolved with emerging requirements identified subsequent to the June OCO amendment, and therefore not previously requested,” Obama stated. “These amendments include additional funding necessary to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counterterrorism strategy.”
The funds will be used to sustain forward deployed personnel, provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platforms and support and replenish munitions used in air strikes as part of Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL, and finance operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses.
Under the procurement account in the new budget amendment, the Air Force seeks the largest amount, including $544.5 million for classified purposes, $49 million to replace Joint Direct Attack Munitions and general purpose bombs, and $21.3 million for the replacement of Hellfire tactical missiles and small diameter bombs.
The Navy wants $55 million to buy small, tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), $54.3 million to replace tactical missiles such as Tomahawk cruise missiles and laser-guided Mavericks, $8.3 million for counter intelligence communications and equipment, and $2.5 million for the service and Marine Corps to replace general purpose bombs.
The Army is seeking $51 million related to counter intelligence communications and electronic equipment programs and $3 million to replace Hellfire missiles.
The Defense-wide account seeks $38.8 million for Special Operations Command equipment and various intelligence support programs.
For O&M support activities in the fight against ISIL, the Air Force is seeking the largest request under the new amendment, $931.6 million for Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIL. The funds are for “pre-deployment training and operation costs for flying hours to include fuel, supplies and repair parts” as well as related transportation and contract services.
The new amendment includes a $780 million O&M request for the Army, $112.6 million for the Navy, and $13 million for the Marine Corps.
The administration is also seeking another $464 million for defense-wide O&M spending for various costs and supplies, including depot maintenance, command and control, and intelligence activities such as satellite data and other information technology.
The O&M portion of the amendment also seeks $1.6 billion for training and equipping Iraqi, Kurdish and tribute security forces that are fighting ISIL. These funds would be available through the end of FY ’16 and would be for the “provision of equipment, supplies, services, training, facility and infrastructure repair, renovation, construction, and stipends.”
The budget amendment also includes a request for research, development, test and evaluation funds, with Defense-wide agencies seeking the most funds, $129.1 million for classified purposes. The Air Force is also seeking $14.7 million for classified purposes while the Navy wants $940,000 for small, tactical UAS research and Special Operations Command enhancements.
The House Armed Services Committee this Thursday will host a hearing to discuss the administration’s strategy against ISIL, with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Army Gen. Martin Dempsey scheduled to testify.