WASHINGTON, May 9 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Department of Defense said Tuesday that it has raised its budget for military intelligence program (MIP) for fiscal year 2017 from 16.8 billion U.S. dollars to 18.5 billion dollars.
The new budget includes "additional funding" for the program, the Pentagon said in a statement.
"The department determined that releasing this top line figure does not jeopardize any classified activities within the MIP. No other MIP budget figures or program details will be released, as they remain classified for national security reasons," the statement said.
The MIP refers to the military departments' programs, projects or activities to acquire intelligence solely for the planning and conduct of tactical military operations by the U.S. Armed Forces.
The MIP runs parallel to another intelligence gathering arm of the U.S. government, the National Intelligence Program, which is overseen by the director of national intelligence.
