Ike Puzon posted on July 30, 2010 11:32
Now may be the best time to join us in the fight to safeguard Navy and Navy Reserve capabilities and focus Congress on the earned benefits and equipment that allows Navy to meet the National Security Challenges of our Nation.
Funds in the War Supplemental Spending Bill
Below are key provisions of the supplemental spending bill cleared by the House. Most of the $58.8 billion will pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there is also "emergency" funding for other programs.
- Iraq and Afghanistan: $37.12 billion in additional fiscal 2010 funding for the military action in Iraq and Afghanistan and related foreign aid activities
- Veterans: $13.38 billion in mandatory spending for Vietnam veterans with illnesses linked to Agent Orange
FEMA: $5.1 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund; Flood relief: $100 million to help communities devastated by flooding
- Haiti: $2.93 billion for earthquake relief
Army Corps of Engineers: $178 million to respond to natural disasters
- Gulf oil spill: $162 million for unemployment benefits and aid to relief efforts
- Guam: $50 million to improve port facility access
Economic Development Administration: $49 million
- Farm loans: $31.5 million to support $950 million in new loans to family farmers
- Fisheries: $26 million for fisheries disasters
- Mine safety: $22 million to address a backlog in mine safety enforcement cases
- Flood control: $20 million for Army Corps water projects; Mississippi River: $18.6 million to respond to disasters
- Forests: $18 million for forest restoration
- Coast Guard: $16 million for aircraft
- Highway safety: $15 million for studies of sudden vehicle acceleration and to administer fuel economy standards
- Capitol Police: $13 million for a modern digital radio system
- Drought relief: $10 million to respond to droughts in the West
- Financial commission: $2 million to allow the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial crisis
- Rural housing loans: Provides authority to continue making loans and protects low-income borrowers from a loan fee increase
- No-Fly List: Requires the Transportation Security Administration to require commercial foreign airlines to check the no-fly list no later than 30 minutes after it has been updated
- High-Value Detainee interrogations: Requires the FBI to submit to Congress within 30 days its interrogation procedures for such detainees. SOURCE: House Appropriations Committee
House Panel OKs $681.8 Billion Defense Spending Measure
By Eugene Mulero, CQ Staff
A House panel backed a $681.8 billion fiscal 2011 Defense spending bill that would continue to provide billions in funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee approved, by voice vote on Tuesday in a closed session, a draft bill that would provide $157.9 billion to fund the wars in the Middle East. It also contains $523.9 billion in annual spending for the Pentagon, including a 1.4 percent pay raise for military personnel, matching the Obama administration's request.
The bill would provide $15.7 billion more than the fiscal 2010 enacted level, and $7 billion less than President Obama requested. According to Congressman Dicks, D-WA, Chair of House Appropriations, "These cuts were little bits and pieces that added to $7 billion. Nothing was cut that was going to hurt health care, hurt the troops in any way, shape or form. We've taken care of all of those things," Dicks said. Appropriators adopted two amendments offered by Republicans. The first amendment would provide $450 million for the continued development of an alternative engine for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program. "There has been much debate on the issue of the second engine, but it all comes down to this: Competition saves money. I truly believe that spending a little money today will save a great deal in the future," Congressman Lewis said.
Dicks opposed the amendment, citing a veto threat from the White House. The Obama administration has maintained that the alternative engine is unneeded and amounts to wasteful spending.
The other amendment would allow detainees at the U.S. facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be transferred to the United States for prosecution. It would also prohibit funds in the bill from being used to build permanent facilities in the United States for detainees.
Other Provisions
- Navy Ships: The bill would provide funding for nine Navy ships, matching the administration's request, and funding for a Mobile Landing Platform ship, which was not requested.
- TBI: $359.1 million for the treatment of traumatic brain injury.
- SBIR: $604 million for the Defense Department's Small Business Innovation Research program.
- Health Care: $31.5 billion for Defense Department health care programs.
- NG Equipment: $1.5 billion to fund National Guard equipment.
The full Appropriations Committee is expected to mark up the bill in September.
The bill would provide $157.9 billion for war operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, including operation and maintenance programs.
The Final Report of the Quadrennial Defense Review Independent Panel
The DoD QDR is required by Congress in law every four years a strategic review of existing DoD plans and programs.
Congress constituted an Independent Panel to review the QDR, assess the long term threats facing America, and produce recommendations regarding the capabilities which will be necessary to meet those threats. See the total report.
Some of the key Findings
Today civilian department and agencies lack the capacity to provide the array of capabilities required for effective support to the Department of Defense in stability and reconstruction operations in unstable host nations
- International Security and Assistance reform - The final element of reform involves changes to International Security Assistance and cooperation programs.
Force Structure: Secretary Gates is correct to focus all the necessary resources of American national security on the success of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. The QDR should reflect that, but it must also plan effectively for threats that are likely to rise over the next 20 years.
- The absence of a clear force-planning construct in the 2010 QDR represents a missed opportunity.
- The force structure in the Asia-Pacific area needs to be increased
- The QDR force structure will not provide sufficient capacity to respond to a domestic catastrophe that might occur during a period of ongoing contingency operations abroad.
- The expanding cyber mission also needs to be examined
- Although the pay and benefits afforded to U.S. military personnel can never adequately compensate for their sacrifice and the burdens placed upon their families, the recent and dramatic growth in the cost of the All-Volunteer Force cannot be sustained for the long term.
- To accomplish the QDR's goal of preserving and enhancing the All-Volunteer Force and to develop future military leaders, major changes will be necessary in the military personnel system:
- Greater differentiation in assignments and compensation between one or two terms of service and a career
- A change in military compensation, emphasizing cash in hand instead of deferred or in-kind benefits to enhance recruiting for those serving less than an entire career
- The use of bonuses and credential pay to attract, retain, and reward critical specialties and outstanding performance
- Instituting a continuum-of-service model that allows service members to move fluidly between the active and reserve components and between the military, private sector, civil service, and other employment
- Modify TriCare for Life to identify solutions that make it more affordable over the long term, including phasing in higher contributions while ensuring these remain below market rates, and adjusting contributions on the basis of ability to pay.
- Professional Military Education (PME): In order to attract more youth to military careers and recruit from the nation's top colleges, the services should offer full scholarships on a competitive basis, usable anywhere a student chooses to attend, in exchange for enlisted service in the reserves (and summer officer training) during schooling, and five years of service after graduation to include officer training school.
- Establishment of a New National Security Strategic Planning Process: The QDR process as presently constituted is not well suited to the holistic planning process needed.
There are many QDR Independent Review findings that our readers are encourage to review: www.ausn.org
Defense Business Board Says Military Retirement System - Unfordable
On July 22, the Defense Business Board task force recommended that the Secretary of Defense reduce the DoD civilian workforce by more than 111,000, and laid the groundwork for potential future recommendations to cut spending on military retirement, health care, family support, and other programs. Additionally, the task force recommended drastic reductions in combatant command staffing, hiring freezes, and elimination of organizational duplication. These preliminary recommendations will be followed in October by additional cost-cutting proposals. For the last year, the Defense Business Board has predicted major problems for the Defense budget as the nation deals with deficit reduction efforts, the economic slowdown, escalating health care and personnel costs, and the potential exit from two wars. Board members believe that avoiding a looming fiscal crisis will require cutting the Defense budget beyond Secretary Gates' recently announced target of a $100-billion reduction in "overhead" spending. www.ausn.org