by Xinhua writer Yang Qingchuan
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U.S.President Barack Obama (R) delivers
remarks on the budget for fiscal year 2010 ,as White House Budget Director
Peter Orszag (L) stands aside, in the Eisenhower Executive Office
Buildingin in Washington, the United States, May 7, 2009. Obama said on
Thursday that he will trim 121 programs worth some 17 billion U. S.
dollars from his 3.4 trillion-dollar budget for fiscal year 2010.
(Xinhua/Zhang Yan)
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WASHINGTON, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The Obama
administration unveiled a 664-billion-U.S.-dollar defense budget plan Thursday,
which reflects the new American administration's shift of focus in weapon
programs and wars.
Overall, the budget blueprint for fiscal year 2010,
which begins on October 1, includes 534 billion dollars for baseline defense
budget and 130 billion dollars for overseas military operations, primarily for
wars in Iraq and the Afghanistan.
The total sum represents a modest one-percent
increase of the total military budget for the current fiscal year, but the war
funding will decrease by 10 percent and the baseline budget grows by 4 percent
(2.1 percent after adjusting for inflation).
"The budget provides the balance necessary to finance
our capabilities to fight the wars we are in today and the scenarios we are most
likely to face in the years ahead, while at the same time providing a hedge
against other risks and contingencies," Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who is
visiting overseas, said in a statement.
Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale echoed him at a
Pentagon briefing, described the new plan as "a reform budget crafted to reshape
the priorities of America's defense establishment."
The "sizeable" defense spending increase carried out
by the Bush administration is coming to an end, Hale noted.
ĦĦĦĦ"RESHAPING MILITARY"
Analysts said the new plan reflects the Obama
administration's ongoing efforts to reshape the U.S. military into a force
better suited to unconventional wars rather than being prepared for fighting
large-scale conventional wars, which is what Gates has been advocating for
months.
In April, Gates said the administration "must
rebalance this department's programs in order to institutionalize and enhance
our capabilities to fight the wars we are in today and the scenarios we are most
likely to face in the years ahead, while at the same time providing a hedge
against other risks and contingencies."
A number of expensive traditional programs will be
terminated under the plan, including the F-22 fighter jet, the VH-71
presidential helicopter program, the DDG-1000 destroyer program and the
Transformational Satellite program.
Meanwhile, the plan also calls for cancellation of a
new combat, search and rescue helicopter bidding program and 87 billion dollars
of funding for the ground vehicle portion of the Army's Future Combat System
program, and the kinetic energy interceptor program.
The plan has no funding for an alternate engine for
F-35 fighter jet, a development project for a new long-range bomber and the C-17
transport planes.
It also envisions to reduce the number of U.S.
aircraft carriers from 11 to 10 and cuts 1.2 billion dollars from the missile
defense program.
At the same time, the plan proposes increasing funds
for programs that will enhance the U.S. military's counterinsurgency
capabilities, including adding 2 billion dollars to the Pentagon's overall
Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance budget.
It requests 2,400 more U.S. Special Operations
troops, a 4-percent hike.
The plan will "fully fund" the ongoing increase of
the Army and Marine Corps, while also halting planned personnel reductions for
the Air Force and Navy.
It also seeks to buy 30 F-35 Joint Strike fighters.
ĦĦĦĦSHIFTING WARS
The proposed 130 billion U.S. dollars of war funding
include 65billion dollars for Afghanistan and 61 billion dollars for Iraq.
It marks the first time that war spending for
Afghanistan overtook those for Iraq and is in accordance with the new
administration's ongoing shift of war focus from Iraq to Afghanistan.
Steve Stanley, the director of force structure,
resources and assessment on the Joint Staff, told reporters at a Pentagon
briefing that the budget request represents "where you're going to first see the
swing of not only dollars or resources, but combat capability" from Iraq to
Afghanistan.
"The money requested here -- about 65 billion dollars
for Afghanistan -- actually exceeds the 61 billion dollars that we're requesting
for Iraq," he said.
"So that's the first time in our war costs request,"
the official added.
Stanley explained that those numbers are based on
keeping between 50,000 to 100,000 troops in Iraq and 68,000 in Afghanistan.
In Iraq, U.S. troop levels are supposed to come down
gradually over the next year, and these numbers are based on plans to bring
troop levels down to around 50,000 by the end of the fiscal year 2010, which is
Sept. 30 next year, according to the Pentagon.
Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, troop levels will grow to
68,000 later this year after all the additional troops Obama planned to send
there are in position.
In addition to pay for an increase of troops, war
funds allocated for Afghanistan will pay for new equipment, like the scaled-down
version of the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected truck that will be customized for
the primitive roads of Afghanistan.
This budget plan also marks the first time that the
war funding is included in the overall defense budget, a departure with the
practices of the Bush administration, which paid for the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan largely through emergency supplemental appropriations.
LOOMING
FIGHT
However, the budget plan looks unlikely to sail
smoothly through the Congress, due to resistance to cutting weapon programs from
defense contractors and lobbyists, and difference opinions of some lawmakers on
personal programs and war funding.
Earlier on Thursday, Senator John Cornyn, a
Republican from Texas, accused the Obama administration of "cashing in on a
peace dividend by growing domestic spending and weakening our defenses."
The senator said he is still looking for "the
rationale" behind the budget plan.
The administration also risks a looming fight with
Congress over some key personnel programs in the plan.
For example, the plan includes a 2.9-percent pay
raise for active and reserve forces, an amount already rejected by the House and
Senate armed services committees, which have indicated they will provide a
3.4-percent raise for troops.
On war funding, even Democratic lawmakers said they
wish to set preconditions before the funds are appropriated, especially those
funds for Afghanistan.
Some lawmakers reportedly said the Congress should
establish a set of benchmarks and assess whether progress is being made in
Afghanistan before approving funds to support the war efforts.
Obama cuts $17 bln from huge budget
for fiscal year 2010
WASHINGTON, May 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Barack Obama
said on Thursday that he will trim 121 programs worth some 17 billion U.S.
dollars from his 3.4 trillion-dollar budget for fiscal year 2010.
"We can no longer afford to spend as if deficits
don't matter and waste is not our problem," Obama said when unveiling the
1,300-page budget. "We can no longer afford to leave the hard choices for the
next budget, the next administration -- or the next generation." Full story
U.S. defense chief urges passage of
war budget
WASHINGTON, April 30 (Xinhua) -- U.S.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates on Thursday urged Congress to quickly pass the
83.4-billion-U.S.-dollar war budget to fund operations in Iraq and Afghanistan,
as well as aid to Pakistan.
"I urge you to take up this bill and pass it as
quickly as possible, but not later than Memorial Day (May 25)," Gates said at a
Senate Appropriations Committee hearing. Full story
U.S. House passes 3.4-trillion-dollar
budget plan
WASHINGTON, April 29 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. House of
Representatives on Wednesday passed a 3.4-trillion-dollar budget plan that
endorses much of President Barack Obama's agenda including health care reform.
The plan was approved by a 233-193 vote but no
Republicans voted for it. Full story
