WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration expects to ask Congress for up to $50 billion early next year to pay for ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the White House budget director said Monday.
Next year's expected request would represent the third major request to pay for U.S. activities in those countries since last spring. That money would be on top of the $401.7 billion the Pentagon says it is seeking for its 2005 defense budget.
Though Congress has approved most of President Bush's defense proposals with little complaint since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the White House is under growing criticism from Republicans for overall spending that has grown rapidly in his administration.
Already, Congress has approved $166 billion for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan outside the regular budget process.
In a briefing on Bush's budget, White House budget chief Joshua Bolten told reporters they should regard $50 billion ''as the upper limit for what will be needed in '05'' for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dov Zakheim, the Pentagon's financial chief, told reporters Monday that the proposed defense budget would protect the troops, improve intelligence collection and modernize the U.S. forces.
No major weapons systems would be cut, unlike last year, when the Army's Crusader artillery program was eliminated. Several controversial programs, some thought to be at risk of cancellation, received increased funding.
Missile defense programs would receive almost $10.2 billion in the new budget. That is nearly a $1.2 billion increase over this year, according to budget books provided by the Pentagon.
''We want to have the maximum capability to stop missile attacks from coming in,'' Zakheim said.
The first missile defenses are expected to go online sometime this fall, with six interceptor missiles in place at Fort Greely, Alaska, plus three more at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., by the end of the year, a spokesman at the Missile Defense Agency said.
They are being placed with the perceived threat of North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles foremost in mind. The 2005 proposed budget includes money to bring the total number of interceptors to 20.
The proposed budget also includes a 3.5 percent raise in base pay for military personnel. It also eliminates almost all of the out-of-pocket housing costs for the troops, Zakheim said.
The proposed budget would nearly double the spending, to $3.2 billion, on an Army modernization program called Future Combat Systems, which is developing an array of military gear and vehicles for soldiers to use in 2010 and afterward.
The Comanche combat helicopter program, still in development, would receive $1.2 billion, a moderate increase over this year.
The budget also includes money to purchase 11 V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, eight for the Marine Corps and three for the Air Force. The program was plagued by deadly crashes during its development.
The Joint Strike Fighter program, which aims to create an all-purpose jet fighter for the United States and several allies, will be somewhat more expensive than originally planned, Zakheim said. Whether that means the U.S. Air Force and Navy will buy less or spend more on the planes is unclear, officials said.
The Pentagon said the $401.7 billion total would represent a 7 percent increase over this year's planned spending. With mandatory and other kinds of proposed spending included, the total increases slightly to $402.6 billion.
The Army will fund a restructuring program, aimed at changing the primary major combat organization in the service from the 20,000-soldier division to the 4,000-soldier brigade, through money it received in the Iraq and Afghanistan additional funding measures approved by Congress, Zakheim said.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
